#should I cave. should I just allow it to happen. should I feel guilty about forsaking my beloved wood gecko.

[i-never-forgot]

Wait a minute. “Can’t Catch Me Now” is actually so Eliana and Dusknoir coded…hmm. Hm. Wait. Wait.

[bouncybongfairy]

Freezer Burn

Prince Zuko x Fem Reader Smut

Summary: Tensions are running high which causes a argument between Zuko and yourself. He bruises the confidence you have in your hunting abilities and reaffirms your fear of being a burden. Wanting to prove otherwise, you go out in the cold to hunt. Feeling guilty about how he treated you, he goes out to find you. The two of you find some innovative ways to keep warm.

Word Count: 2.0k+

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

Everyone was having a rough day of travel, even Appa was reaching his limit. It was freezing and the optimism of finding a warm place to sleep was fading in everyone. Anng found a small cave that would work for the night. It was on a small mountain and overlooked an even smaller village. Zuko started making a fire while Katara and yourself set up the tents. Yang and Sokka were already asleep, curled into Appa’s thick fur. You were hungry but so was everyone else. 

“Are we going to be able to hunt for food soon? Or get some water?” you asked. 

“We could but I don’t think the cold would allow us to be out there for long. Not to mention there wouldn’t be any animals out, it's just too cold,” she said. 

“Not to mention you’d barely come home with anything in good weather,” Zuko grumbled, poking at the fire. He’d been making cracks at you all day, at first you could ignore him. Excusing his behavior on fatigue and hunger pains, but now you were taking it personally. 

“You’re not a prince among us, so stop acting like it” you say in hopes of lowering his ego.

“I am the best fighter and hunter, the past two battles you’ve only slowed us down. Maybe if we had a successful kill earlier we wouldn’t be hungry now,” he said. 

“Zuko don’t say that!” Katara snapped. 

All day you’d been beating yourself up over that mistake. Deep down you knew the rest of the group was irritated about you costing them the meal earlier. It just reaffirmed your insecurity. Grabbing your bow and arrows, you start putting your clothes back on while preparing for a hunt. 

“We’re all really tired and yes we may be hungry but you’re not the sole reason for that. Zuko is obviously just grumpy, don’t let his outburst get to you,” she says, grabbing your arm. 

Deep down you wanted to listen and calm down, rest for a while. Your pride however wouldn’t allow you to stop yourself. As you left, you could hear Katara yelling at Zuko to apologize. The feeling of dread bubbled in your stomach, you didn’t want to make anyone worry but your ego was clouding your judgment. Everyone in the group had their own ways of helping and at times you did feel like a burden. Extra weight that Appa had to carry on his back. It wasn’t that you were mad about what Zuko said, you were more frustrated that it was true. At this point it felt like you’d been walking for hours. The snow was coming down hard, without any signs of lightning. Not eating and your lack of rest was starting to get to you. Your stomach felt like it was eating away at itself. Eyes burning and muscles starting to stiffen from the cold penetrating your clothes. You tried not to go too far, knowing you couldn’t carry an animal in the cold that far. But you had to get some distance between you and the cave in order to find any wild game. Finally spotting a young Moose Lion, looking lost and confused, you almost hesitated when readying your bow. After successfully hitting the animal, your body floods with adrenaline. This quickly fades as you realize you’ll have to drag the thing home. Seemingly underestimating the size which caused a struggle when walking back. Even though it was freezing, you’d broken into a sweat. Starting to feel lightheaded, you took a moment to catch your breath. 

Katara was pacing at the entrance of the cave, anxious for your arrival. He wouldn’t admit it, but Zuko was feeling his own regret about how he’d spoken to you. He didn’t mean to let his anger get the best of him, it just sort of happened. 

“I think I should go out to look for her, she could be freezing to death,” she said, starting to get dressed.

“You can’t, it’s a full blown blizzard,” Zuko said, standing up. 

“Well we can’t just leave her to die out there!” Katara snaps, upset that he would even suggest stopping her from leaving. 

“I know, but only a fire bender would have the resources to survive such severe weather. I’ll go,” he said, making the fire sustainable for the time he’d be gone for. 

“Just be careful,” Katara said as he walked into the cold.

Once he felt just how bad it was outside, his guilt intensified. It wasn’t true what he said about you being a burden. He was just feeling insecure about his own place in the group. Simply projecting his inner turmoil onto you. Knowing it pushed you this far was getting to him. He took a deep breath and started following the faint track you left. Even though a fresh layer of snow was now covering the foot prints, it was still enough to follow. At times Zuko would use his fire for warmth and light. Getting desperate, he began calling your name out. Fatigue was starting to affect him as well. He finally thought he saw you, laying against the animal. He assumed you were just pulling the arrow out but when he got closer he noticed you were passed out. He immediately started assessing you, looking around knowing he had to find shelter that was closer than the rest of the group. Using his fire, he melts a coating of snow and ice, covering a small cave. The animal luckily kept you warm while he wasn’t there but he was still worried about your fingers. They had practically no color and your lips were tinted blue. Once he got you inside the cave, next to the fire he created, he brought the animal in. Impressed that you shot it right through the chest. Taking off his outer layers and bundling you up in them. He was relieved to see the color coming back to your fingertips and cheeks. Checking every once in a while to make sure you were getting too close and burning yourself. 

The two of you wouldn’t be able to make the trip back any time soon, so Zuko began skinning and sectioning off the meat. Washing his hands with melted snow he was slowly collecting. As he roasted the meat, he couldn’t help but admire your beauty. Your eyelashes were long and the light from the fire was illuminating your face. Sleeping with your lips slightly parted, hair completely unraveled from the tight bun it once was in. After a couple hours, you slowly began to come too. Sitting up rubbing your eyes, Zuko rushes over to you.

“Are you okay?” he asks, brushing the hair out of your face. He grabbed a bowl of water, bringing it to your lips,

“Sit closer to the fire,” he said, helping you sit up fully. Still weak, you were wobbling while you sat criss-crossed. Still shivering a bit because your back was cold, not able to feel the heat from the fire. Zuko notices this and comes to sit behind you, stabilizing and warming you up. He was using a stick to roast the meat he’d prepared from the animal. It smelt really good, and was the only reason you were keeping your eyes open. He brought the stick to your lips but you were too weak to rip a piece off. Trying to bite a small chunk but not having the strength to actually get a bite. He laughs at your attempt and rips a small piece off, bringing it to your mouth. He repeated this a couple times, giving you sips of water in between. Letting you digest, he rests his chin on top of your head and keeps cooking. After eating, you could feel yourself gaining strength and energy. Becoming more aware of your surroundings.

“What happened?” you asked, looking around and noticing it was only you and Zuko. 

“You went out to hunt and passed out. I came looking for you but the storm was too powerful to travel back to camp with you and the kill. So we're camping here for the night,” he explained, adding more wood to the fire. 

That was when you slowly started putting the pieces of your memory back together. You were grateful to be sheltered now, definitely counting your blessings. Noticing that Zuko wasn’t wearing a shirt, you took off what he gave you. He accepted it but didn’t put it on right away, instead just laying it on his neck like a scarf. 

“I’m sorry for egging you on like that, and for not stopping you from leaving,” he said, moving his chin from your head to your collarbone. 

“It was my decision, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. It was my stubbornness that put both of us at risk,” you said. 

“I like that you're stubborn, that you don’t listen to people who underestimate you,” he said.

“I thought you hated me,” you chuckle. 

“I know that’s what I show but it couldn’t be further than the truth,” he spoke softly. 

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” you asked, moving your back closer against his chest. 

“As mean as I’ve been, you always are so nice and understanding. Even when I don’t deserve it,” he said. 

“Zuko you always deserve it, you’re easy to love,” you say, turning to face him. 

His face was bright red and for the first time you were seeing his vulnerability. Just slightly, like he didn’t want to give too much away. You move his hair out of the way and look at his scar. Although he looked a little embarrassed, he tilted his head so you could get a full look. Without thinking, you started kissing the skin around his eye. He ended up catching your lips with his. Immediately you move so that you’re straddling his lap. His back was pressed against the wall of the cave, your back was facing the fire. Running your fingers through his hair, admiring how soft the strands were. He moaned into your mouth as you pulled and tugged. Rocking your hips against crotch, your stomach tightening after feeling him get hard. You take in a sharp intake of breath and narrow down, focusing on rubbing against his shaft. Zuko’s hips began to buck involuntarily, which led to his taking his pants off. You follow his lead and do the same, also removing your top. Using his hands to rock your hips against his. Partly because he liked spreading your wetness along himself but also enjoying watching your chest bounce. He takes one of your nipples into his mouth, you let out a strangled moan. The pleasure was so intense the rocking of your hips was becoming erratic. Seeing you react so intensely to his touch made him go somewhat feral. 

Flipping you over so your back is against the cold ground. He was feverishly kissing your neck and chest, at times making you giggle. He smiled down at you, taking in how beautiful your eyes were in the soft glow of the fire. Your entire body felt like it was burning down to your core. Pulling your knees to your chest, taking the hint he sat up. He was now towering above you, his member laying on your front. Leaking pre-cum onto your lower stomach. He grabs himself, slapping his dick on your pussy. Enjoying the moans and whines coming from your mouth every time he rubbed his tip against your clit. He enjoyed watching you beneath him, desperate for his touch. A relief only he could provide you. Unable to take any more foreplay, he presses into you. Muttering curses as he is overwhelmed by your heat. How tight you felt around him and your moans matching up with his movement made him feel overstimulated. Like he couldn’t slow his heart rate down. Watching as your tits bounced with every thrust, how braindead you were from pleasure. He presses his hands down on your stomach so he could feel this cock pounding in and out of you. The sudden pressure was enough to send you over the edge. Pulling Zuko down and raking your nails down his back, 

“Fuck!” he said it loud, right in your ear. 

His thrusts were unrelenting as he chased his orgasm. Groaning and moaning into your shoulder as he finally came. Rutting into you as he came inside you, pressing himself as close as he could be to you. Petting his hair and whispering encouraging things into his hair. He laid down beside you, pulling you into his chest before covering the two of you with a woven quilt. Giving the fire one last hit before drifting off to sleep with you.

[imshii-kin]

Good Luck

Platonic Yandere Dc x reincarnated Reader

I made this a bit ago so have mercy :,)

Wattpad

Summary : Y/n, who recently taken an interest in the DC universe, finds themself in that very universe after a little roadkill accident.

Prologue, Chapter # 1 (you are here), Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Never feel guilty for starting again. - Rupi Kaur

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

It had been a few hours since Y/n had awoken, she felt like she was in shock. She could remember walking back to her dorm from the public library. She had picked a random comic from the comic section, deciding to venture from her usual picks.

She could remember the bright headlights barreling towards her, the pain, her breath slowly slipping from her...

Y/n doesn't know is she can look at a truck the same way again.

"What do you think could've caused this Lois? She was completely fine yesterday." A man with inky black hair and deep blue eyes paced around the kitchen, his brows furrowed in frustration.

The woman next to him, Louis, placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort her husband. "I don't know Clark, it's strange."

Y/n sucks in a breath, she was in the DC universe.

──●◎●──

'...I didn't even get to finish playing through Fnaf.' Y/n thought as she watched her 'parents' talk. Sighing, Y/n recounted her situation, she could remember her past life perfectly, but she drew a blank when she tried to remember anything from this life.

In all honesty Y/n was on the verge of a panic attack, still coming to grips with the fact she died. Not only that, but out of all the universes to be reincarnated in, Y/n was reborn into one of the most dangerous universes out there. Why couldn't she just be reincarnated in a chick flick?

Louis had her arm around Y/n, holding her close and trying to comfort her. She was saying something to Y/n, though nothing really registered.

Justifiably, Y/n didn't feel like talking to anyone.

Clark sat down in front of you, gently taking your hands in his hands. "Y/n, can you tell us what could have happened? Anything at all?" Y/n shakes her head no. She chose not to mention her past life, something in her gut told her to keep it to herself.

Clark sighed disappointedly, "I guess I'll have to call Bruce." He seemed grimace when he mentioned Bruce's name.

That's never a good sign.

──●◎●──

"What do you mean 'No' Bruce!?" Clark yelled at the billionaire, who was trying to calm down and reason with the hero.

"Clark, I just think you're going a little overboard, let me take her back to Gotham. I can use my computers and resources that are stored in the bat cave to figure out what's wrong." Bruce explained. "We don't need to summon the Justice League for this." Bruce's brow furrowed at the stubbornness of the alien.

Off to the side Y/n watched the interaction with morbid curiosity. Though you agreed that calling up the Justice League was a bit... over the top. It was still strange how Bruce seems reluctant to interact with the Justice League in general.

Wonder why that is.

Clark runs a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. "Why would I let my daughter go to Gotham, for all I know, this is some excuse to experiment on her kryptonian side. Find out more weaknesses," he all but snarled, "or get her killed, just like Jason!"

Clark pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't trust her with you, not after..." He shakes his head, turning away from Bruce.

Louis had left your side to talk with Clark, allowing Jon to take her place.

There's some silence, before Jon decides to speak. "...I think you should go." He says. Y/n tilts her head towards him, brow raised. "I gave a friend there, Damien." Jon begins, "he's told me all about Bruce, I think they can help you."

Jon blushes a bit, "Plus, Damien is the most trustworthy guy I know, if you ever need help, he'll be there."

Footsteps approach you both from behind, turning to look, you both see an irritated Clark approaching you. "Well, she doesn't have a choice. She isn't going." He huffed.

"..."

"Clark, do you want her to get the best treatment or not?" Surprisingly, Lois spoke up this time. Sighing, she took Clark's hand.

"Bruce won't betray our trust, plus she'll be in one of the most protected places in Gotham, getting the best treatment she could ever get. I think we should let Bruce take her until we figure out what, or... who caused this."

──●◎●──

Y/n and Bruce sit in silence.

──●◎●──

Chapter 2

[artful-aries]

Can I please have possessive/jealousy headcanons for scaramoche dottore zhongli Childe and pantalone? Thank you in advance 🤗

I am not dead everyone!!! Mother’s Day and TOTK releasing this weekend have me hella preoccupied. Anyway, I’ve actually already done this for Zhongli and Childe, but I did the other three!!

Content Warnings: Dottore’s section is pretty manipulative and unhealthy, this is your warning.

When They Are Jealous (Dottore, Scaramouche, Pantalone)

Dottore:

This man is very possessive at all times, even when he’s in a good mood. He doesn’t get jealous, that would require him to think he might not measure up to others, but he definitely does not take kindly to others thinking they can have access to you

Would not hesitate to cut someone’s eyes out if they stared at you for too long, and likely would find some use for them in his various experiments

Dottore sees you as an extension of himself, or more accurately, one of his possessions. He is far too prideful to let any mediocre being come close to thinking they could even speak to you without him allowing it

This results in your borderline isolation from anyone who isn’t Dottore (with a few exceptions, such as the Harbingers). You tell him that you feel lonely? Too bad. He’s not going to budge on this. You’re his, and not just anyone can speak to you or lay eyes on you

It doesn’t take much to make the Doctor jealous; simply disrespect his wishes and talk to a random Fatui agent, or even just a Snezhnayan merchant, and you’ll have him scowling underneath his mask as he watches you. He knows exactly what you’re doing, and doesn’t like it one bit

What he does entirely depends on his mood; He will either lay a chilling hand on your shoulder and ask you to speak to him privately, or if he is in a foul mood, he likely wouldn’t hesitate to maim or kill the other person on the spot.

Don’t think you’ve escaped punishment either, you’re just as much of a guilty party in this as they were. Dottore isn’t going to kill you or disfigure you, no, he is going to opt for a more psychological punishment for you

Nothing makes people more desperate and malleable than a lack of affection, so he will actively withhold any affection until you’re begging for forgiveness and for him to give you an ounce of attention

Is it manipulative? Absolutely, but Dottore doesn’t care. This gets him the results he wants and enables him to observe how you behave under emotional and psychological stress. He likes to see just how long you can last before you’re caving to him

Should you go out of your way to make him jealous by being too friendly with another Harbinger, you’ll have him seething, but this just makes things worse for you since he can’t take out his frustration on the other Harbingers though he does briefly consider baiting Childe into a fight once he sees you hanging off of the man’s arm

Dottore would scoop you up immediately without a word, carrying you into his lab where he plans to have a very stern “talk” with you about not throwing yourself at the nearest person when you want attention from him

There are very rare occasions where he will “let” you do as you please, flirting and getting touchy with anyone and everyone just to make him jealous, but he uses this as an opportunity to study you and your actions. While the behavior irks him, there is valuable data to be collected in allowing it to happen. Once his data collection is complete, he’s ready to punish you for trying to provoke him despite the benefit he received out of your antics

Scaramouche:

Another one to easily get jealous, he will turn into the biggest brat alive over the simplest things. You could greet someone cheerfully because you’re in a good mood and he will immediately have a snide remark to say about it

Whether you intentionally made him jealous or not, it doesn’t matter. He’s going to have an attitude with you no matter what

Scaramouche just doesn’t have it in him to be upfront about the fact that he’s upset, or communicate why he is upset. You’ll have to deal with him being cold and distant aside from his rude comments until he eventually gets over it himself or you piece together what his problem is

When you do confront him, he will adamantly deny that he was ever jealous, “What am I, your keeper? Do what you want.”

Yet it’s very clear by the permanent scowl on his face that Scaramouche doesn’t want you to do what you want. He’d never admit it, but he wants your focus on him and only him, he wants your unwavering devotion. It makes him feel like his existence is validated

The most you’d be able to pull out of him is what made him cranky in the first place, but his admittance is indignant and dismissive. Part of him just wants to stay mad because deep down he feels like this is just you getting ready to betray him. He’s been burned too many times and has a lot of trust issues

When you reassure him that your earlier actions held no underlying meaning and that you aren’t going to abandon him, Scaramouche’s expression will not change; however, there will be a slight release of tension in his shoulders. He’s not completely relieved, but it’s enough to get him to stop being entirely unpleasant

For a little while after his initial withdrawal, he’s going to stick uncharacteristically close to you, almost as though he is making sure that you’re true to your word

Again, he would never admit this, but in reality Scaramouche just wants to be in your comforting presence for a while

If you were to ask him why he’s hanging around so much all of the sudden, he will lie through his teeth and just say he was bored or just happened to have extra time on his hands. Even if you tease him about it, he will never admit just how much he enjoys your presence

He also makes sure to cut off and interrupt anyone that tries talking to you when he’s with you. They’re cutting into his time with you, and he won’t hesitate to be rude as hell in order to get them to go away

Pantalone:

He is a difficult man to make jealous; he is incredibly confident in himself, to the point that he doesn’t view most people as competition

If he were to get jealous, it would likely be you giving attention to the other Harbingers, especially a Vision bearer

Pantalone would freeze for a moment at the scene, his eyes narrowing as he takes in how you interact with them. The sight alone made his stomach churn a little bit. He doesn’t think he is beneath them, but he can’t help but wonder if there’s a part of you that prefers the power that Visions bring, something that he can’t buy with his wealth

He will saunter up to you and place a hand on your shoulder; not threateningly, but just to remind you of his presence as he works his way into the conversation. Though he doesn’t have much patience and finds a way to politely end it soon after joining. He’s got a lot that he wants to say to you in private, gently pulling you away

Once you’re alone, he smiled sweetly at you, but there’s an edge to it as he asks you why you were paying so much attention to another person rather than him

He’s not outright threatening you, and he doesn’t intend to hurt you physically because of his own jealousy, but his tone indicates that you need to choose your words carefully

If you explain yourself and say that you were just being friendly, Pantalone will happily drop the subject, wrapping an arm around you as the two of you walk together. He knew he was good enough for you, but liked the reassurance that you weren’t seeking more than he could provide

If you were to admit that you were actively trying to make him jealous, then he would give a small chuckle at your response. You wanted to make him jealous? Well, mission accomplished, but now were you prepared to deal with the consequences?

He’ll pull you to his office, not explaining himself as he locks the door. He intends to remind you of just how much he has to offer, and how you won’t be happy with anyone else, even if they were blessed by the gods

Pantalone is possessive by nature, wanting anything and everything his heart desires, you included. He’s spent too long working for his wealth to fall short with you

[highseas-swede]

So, this response really got me thinking again and turning around some different gears in my head. Crowley's fall started with their meeting. That's huge!

This means Aziraphale caused Crowley to fall, at least indirectly and Aziraphale knows it.

I do quickly want to say that I feel it's likely Crowley would have fallen anyway, that it would have happened because of his nature and his curiosity and his questioning, but Aziraphale must remember that first meeting and blame himself for the eventual outcome. Here was this wonderful, joyful angel out there making nebulas and Aziraphale talked to him for like five minutes and he fell.

Because of Aziraphale.

It also recontextualizes some of Aziraphale's other actions if you think about the Guilt that Aziraphale must have been feeling. He's clearly smitten with Crowley when they first meet while Crowley's an angel, but on the wall at Eden, he's definitely more uncomfortable and his gazes aren't the longing looks from pre-creation. He recognizes Crowley as that angel, he feels guilty about it, far more than he does about giving away the flaming sword. And then when it starts to rain, he protects Crowley because it's the least he can do after what he did to ruin Crowley's life.

I'm betting he felt that same guilt very heavily when Crowley asks him for the Holy Water initially. He's afraid that Hell is so bad that Crowley would destroy himself to escape it. And though Aziraphale has clearly pushed his guilt mostly to the back of his mind, it has to be there in the forefront at that moment.

He's thinking "Crowley is suffering so much he'd rather be destroyed". He's remembering that beautiful, innocent angel Crowley was and how his laughter lit up the stars themselves and now Crowley asks him for the ability to end his existence. No wonder Aziraphale is so reluctant! If Crowley uses the Holy Water on himself, it means Aziraphale will be responsible for Crowley being completely destroyed. He only caves on the matter when he realizes Crowley will do it without his help and realizes he can't make Crowley suffer more to get it, not after everything he's already done to the demon so far.

I've always wondered why Aziraphale seems afraid of Crowley loving him. He's always seemed comfortable in the knowledge that he loves Crowley, but when Crowley tries to confess to him in the S2 finale, he looks terrified. He looks like he's about to have an anxiety attack.

It's not because he doesn't want to be loved by Crowley. He wants that more than anything. It's because this is the /wrong time/. But it was - in Aziraphale's head - so close to being the right time. In Aziraphale's mind, he was so close to finally making up for this horrible thing he did to Crowley, that he could finally accept Crowley's love without this looming over him. It's not just about making Heaven worthy of Crowley, it's about making HIMSELF worthy of Crowley's love.

What Aziraphale doesn't realize is that Crowley has never blamed him. Never. He's just projecting his own guilt and then using it to bludgeon himself into thinking he's not good enough for Crowley. Aziraphale values Crowley more than he values himself, just like he trusts Crowley more than he trusts himself.

It makes me think a bit more on the concept of Grace in Catholicism, how sins must be cleansed to allow the Grace to flow through and fill the body. When you believe that you must be cleansed of sin to accept Grace, it's an easy jump to feel that you cannot also be worthy of love if you have not absolved yourself of sin. But in Aziraphale's mind, there is no way to fix what he did to Crowley. Until there is.

No wonder Aziraphale reacts so excitedly - and so desperately - to the thought of reinstating Crowley as an angel. Yes, he knows Crowley is more than worthy of being an angel, that he never SHOULD have fallen to begin with. But with this added context it's even worse… he blames himself for Crowley falling. Crowley was so happy as an angel and Aziraphale took that away from him. He sees reinstating Crowley both as the Right Thing to Do in a moral sense, but also as a way to finally absolve himself of this guilt he's undoubtedly carried since Crowley Fell.

Aziraphale is so blinded by his guilt and his need to absolve himself and make it right for Crowley that he completely fails to realize both that Crowley doesn't want what he's offering, but he also fails to realize that Crowley doesn't even blame him for the terrible thing he thinks he did. Crowley already loves him without condition.

Trying to make Crowley an angel again is the most tragically selfish, self-centered thing Aziraphale has ever done and even then it comes from a trauma he's been carrying since before the Beginning.

He keeps forgiving Crowley for things that don't need forgiveness, but what Aziraphale really needs - for both of their sakes - is to finally forgive himself.

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 46]

<< First | < Previous | Next >

-

Tobias and Nia say their goodbyes to Fort Asra. Following Rosalind's info, they discover some unexpected answers in the desert.

-

Tobias wakes somewhere soft. Once he blinks his eyes open against late afternoon light, he realizes he’s back at Granite and Takeo’s place, in the room he and Nia have been boarding in. Dust motes float through sunlight against a wooden ceiling.

The quiet creak of the door and soft footsteps—familiar footsteps—make Tobias raise his head.

Nia startles at the movement, then hurries over with a smile. “Hey! How’re you feeling?”

Tobias tries sitting up, then groans when that makes his body ache and his head twinge with pain. His thigh is wrapped up tight in gauze, and it itches against his scales.

Nia motions for him to lie down. “Take it easy. You got pretty roughed up.”

No kidding. Tobias rubs at his eyes. “What happened?”

“Well…what do you remember?”

Tobias grudgingly allows himself to sink back into the pile of cushions. “I remember…Calder, jumping in to fight Eddy. And Grant and Takeo. They found us?”

Nia nods, smile twisting with wry humor, “Apparently Takeo didn’t trust us to stay out of trouble. He tagged us with his silk and tracked us across the desert once he realized we snuck out. Granite grabbed Calder along the way.”

Tobias isn’t sure if he should feel angry about that or not. The townsmon did save them from a second fight with the dewott that Tobias isn’t sure they would’ve won.

“What about Eddy and the Steelix?”

“Safely in custody!” Nia chirps, looking proud. “Calder and Lara kept them subdued until some psychics from the guild could come out to grab them.”

Tobias nods as he stares up at the ceiling, something in his memory nudging at him. Something important. He vaguely remembers Nia and Samir leading him out of the cave and up the ladder. The three of them hobbling past the downed steelix (and Tobias has questions about how that happened). Then Eddy attacking them back on the surface.

But before all that, he remembers a terrifying wave of earth bearing down on him, slamming into him and burying him alive. Blackness. Then, a slow return to awareness, soft fur holding him close. Nia’s voice, shaky but relieved. A tight, borderline-painful hug.

Tobias pauses. “Did you…dig me out from that rock slide? How did you find me in all that?”

Nia winces. She looks guilty. “I, um…we couldn’t find you at first, and I was scared you were suffocating. So I found your aura.”

Tobias’ head snaps up as something in his chest stutters. “You looked at my aura?”

He must sound sharper than he means to, because Nia frowns with her ears pinned back in the way she does when she feels defensive. “I thought you might be dying!”

The sudden fear that had bubbled up in Tobias’ chest melts abruptly into shame.

“Right,” he mutters. It still sounds loud in the quiet. “I…I know you did what you had to do.” He grimaces as he peers up at her, almost not wanting to ask. “So…what’d you see?”

Nia blinks. “Oh. Um. Not much, really. I was trying not to dig too deep and I was a bit, uh…distracted. Your soul is red?”

“Red? What does that mean?”

Nia quirks a smile and shrugs. “I’d have to actually focus and look again to tell you. All I know is that you’re a deep red. Almost maroon! I could tell it was you right away. It just…felt like you.”

For some reason, Tobias feels his face heat up at that. He looks away, claws kneading into the cushion in his lap. He supposes he’s glad Nia didn’t find any terrible truths from a fleeting glimpse of his soul, even if he still feels strangely exposed that she looked at all.

There’s a moment of silence where Nia busies herself with fluffing the cushions around Tobias. He can tell she has something to say. She keeps taking a deep breath and opening her mouth, hesitating before closing it again.

“Look,” Nia finally says. “I know you just woke up, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve and we need to talk about this. About…how you get, when info about Team Zenith is involved.”

Oh. Tobias’ stomach sinks as he sits up again, ignoring the exhaustion in his body. “What about it?”

Nia gives him a tired look. “You know what I mean, Tobias.”

“I’m not going to stop looking for them.”

“I’m not asking you to!” Nia groans. She takes a deep breath, rubbing at her face.

"Then what are you asking?”

“I’m not saying we need to stop looking for them,” Nia starts. “I know that you won’t stop, no matter what. But we need to start being more careful about how we tackle these missions.”

Tobias knows that by “we,” she means he has to start being more careful. He’s the one who basically forced her and Samir down into the mines because he was desperate to finish the mission as soon as possible.

He vaguely remembers her hugging him and crying into his scarf, and feels a stab of guilt. Still, he can’t seem to apologize. The words lodge in his throat like a rock. Because he knows he would do it again.

Tobias stares down at his hands and mutters, “You didn’t have to come with me.”

Nia makes an offended noise. “I wasn’t going to let you march off alone to get killed!”

“It would be my fault if I died, not yours.”

Nia throws her hands up. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it would be, it would matter that you died!”

“Would it?” Tobias scoffs.

Nia stops mid-rant, looking stunned. Then, her expression slowly melts into something almost…hurt.

“Yes,” Nia whispers. “It would.”

To Tobias’ surprise, he believes her. Nia gets attached to Pokemon stupidly quick. It makes sense that she’s managed to get attached to him, despite his prickly attitude. They do spend pretty much every day together. Still, Nia could just join Andyn’s team or something if got himself killed. She’d be fine, after a bit.

There’s a heavy moment of silence. Tobias can feel Nia’s eyes on him, so he stubbornly looks out the window, where he sees the side of another building and a glimpse of bright afternoon sunlight.

Finally, Nia sighs. “We just…we can’t keep going like this, Tobias. The seviper in Ghatha, the steelix down in the mines. Rosalind is giving us dangerous missions.”

“I know that,” Tobias says. “What are you recommending we do about it?”

Nia’s mouth flattens into a frown. “I…don’t know. But Samir and I both thought it was too dangerous, and we turned out to be right. We almost died down there because of that.”

Tobias winces, feeling guilt drop heavy onto his shoulders. He wasn’t the only one he put in danger by charging into the mines. Nia and Samir easily could’ve been killed by that steelix. That possibility does scare him. It’s just…so hard for him to think of that, when he feels that desperate itch to follow a lead.

“Can you just…listen, when we try to get you to slow down?” Nia asks. “Be a little more careful?”

Tobias mulls that over. Her request is reasonable enough. She's not asking him to avoid dangerous situations entirely, after all, just to approach them with a bit more caution.

“Fine,” he says, eventually. “I’ll try to listen if you tell me to slow down.”

Nia doesn’t seem relieved by that. Instead, she tilts her head with a little furrow to her brow. Like she’s trying to get through to him, even though he’s already agreed.

“What?” He asks. “I said I'd be more careful.”

“No, I know. I’m glad. It’s just…it feels like you’re agreeing to get me off your back, not because you think it’s the best course of action.”

“What's the difference? Look, I’ll slow down a bit when you get freaked out, okay? And I’ll make sure I don’t drag you or anyone else down with me.”

Nia’s frown grows deeper. “What about you?”

“What about me?"

Nia opens her mouth to reply, then closes it again. “You…want to get revenge, right? On Team Zenith. For taking your family away.”

“Yeah. And?”

Nia bites her lip, but holds his gaze. She looks nervous, but determined. He hates that expression on her because it usually means she’s about to do something stupid.

Finally, she says, “You can’t take revenge for your family if you’re dead. If…If you rush us into a situation and get killed for it, that revenge will never happen, right?”

Tobias blinks back at her, surprised by the riolu’s unusual bluntness. He…hadn’t really thought of it like that before, as obvious as the line of thought is. He’d always sort of figured he’d throw himself at any information and hope for the best. If he died, he died. But…it would all be for nothing then. And if that's the case, it would be worth approaching leads more cautiously not just because Nia asked him to, but because his end goal has a better chance of coming to fruition, right?

Nia continues before he can respond. “Plus, think about what it’d do to Maggie if you were killed. Or the shinx kids. And if I didn’t somehow go down with you I’d be—“

Nia cuts herself off, blinking bright ruby eyes. Her lip quivers. “W-Well. I already thought that yesterday and you saw me then. I’d be devastated if something happened to you.”

Devastated. Somehow, that seems like such an…intense word to apply to him. Tobias doesn’t know if he’s quite worth feeling “devastated” over.

“You’d get over it,” Tobias scoffs.

That makes Nia upset. He sees the blue of her aura flash through her eyes. “You’re not over your family.”

Tobias flinches back as if she’d slapped him. “Of course I’m not! But that’s different!“

“How?”

“Because they were my family!” Tobias hisses.

“Maggie’s your family too! What would she do if she lost you?”

That trips Tobias up. Maggie is his family, and he is hers. But—

“It’s not the same!”

“Why?!”

“Because I should’ve been strong enough to protect my family! And I need to be strong enough now to make Team Zenith pay for what they did. If I go and get myself killed by being an idiot, there’s no one to blame but me. Certainly not Maggie or the kids.“

“None of us would see it that way,” Nia says, voice soft. "You don’t seem to value your own life much, but other people do.”

Something sharp tangles and knots in Tobias’ chest. “Well they shouldn't! I didn't ask them to!"

“I don’t think you get to decide how much other people care about you.”

And Tobias has nothing to say to that. She’s right.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Tobias huffs, looking away. “I’m sorry, all right? For putting you and Samir in danger. I won’t do it again.”

At least that’s one truth that’s easy to tell. He’ll just face it himself next time, if it comes to that. He has to stop dragging Nia down with him.

A heavy silence falls over the room. Tobias wonders if Takeo or Granite heard them arguing. He doesn’t hear either ‘mon moving around the small building, and Granite is very easy to notice with his heavy steps.

Finally, Nia sighs. It’s a defeated sound, but Tobias has a feeling she isn’t done, even if they don’t revisit this today.

Tobias accepts the uneasy truce, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the cushions. Both because he’s growing tired again and because he needs something to do in the awkward silence. Nia reaches over and picks up the book she’d come through the door holding.

For a while, the riolu reads while he rests his eyes and avoids conversation. He tries to track how far she gets by the flutter of pages turning, but loses track after twenty. He idly wonders what she’s reading about. He doesn’t think she brought a book along when they left the guild. Did she borrow one from Granite and Takeo’s shop?

Tobias’ mind wanders then to the itchy bandage circling the cut on his thigh. And then to the fight down in the mines. Eddy wasn’t too difficult to take down, once it was three-on-one. But the steelix…the giant��s face flashes through his mind, jaws strong enough to kill with a single bite.

Tobias cracks open an eye, cataloguing his partner’s lack of injury. The last thing he remembers before waking up from that rock slide, Samir had been knocked out and Nia had been left alone with the steelix. While he's grateful for it, Tobias can't figure out how she escaped so unscathed.

“So you took down the steelix, right?” Tobias asks, unable to completely stop the disbelief in his voice. “How..?”

Nia looks up from her book, taking a moment to enter the present and register his words. “Oh! You remember those blast seeds we got from that last client?”

Tobias frowns. “Oh. Yeah. I'd almost forgotten about them.”

Nia huffs a little laugh. “I did forget about them. The only reason I remembered at all was because of Giratina.”

There’s a pregnant pause. Tobias stares at Nia, trying to process what she just said.

“Giratina?”

Nia blinks back at him. Then, she bops a paw to her forehead. “Oh! Right! I knew I was forgetting something important! He kind of, uh…showed up down in the mines? In the reflections?”

Tobias sits up, alarm swooping through his gut. “What?!”

“But he helped us!” Nia hurries to say.

“Wh—Nia, he’s—“

“I know, I know! I didn’t trust him at first either.” Nia holds out her paws in a calming gesture. Tobias glares back at her but holds his tongue. This better be good.

“But..?”

“But he helped me hide myself when the steelix passed by. I probably would’ve been crushed otherwise. And he lead me to Samir, and then both of us to you.”

Okay, there’s…a lot to unpack there. Giratina supposedly helped them? For some reason? And Nia likely would have died down in the mines if not for the legendary, which is. Great. Tobias’ subconscious will love that nightmare fuel.

Nia must see the skepticism on his face, because she breathes a laugh. “I know. It sounds crazy. But Samir can vouch for me. I guess Giratina could be pulling some kind of long con, but I don’t think any of us would’ve made it out of there without him.”

Tobias wrestles quietly with that information. He’s heard whispers here and there about Giratina all his life, and literally not a single one was flattering. Add that to the fact that Giratina has been stalking his partner and tried to forcibly yank her into the distortion world, and he’s having a hard time believing that the banished legendary might actually have decent motivations.

On the other hand, Will told them not to trust Giratina, and Tobias hates that guy. So.

“So…what? We just trust him now?” Tobias asks.

To his relief, Nia shakes her head. “I’d still like to talk to Edme first before deciding on anything. Giratina helped us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his end goals are good.”

Tobias sits back against the cushions. “Agreed. But knowing you, I figured you'd already decided to befriend him.”

Nia sticks her tongue out at him but doesn't respond. Tobias takes that as a win.

"So you wanna catch me up on everything that happened in the mines?"

The riolu almost seems surprised by the request, before she shifts position to get more comfortable and begins to talk. Her words start out hesitant, and she peeks at him like she isn’t sure he wants to hear all the gritty details, but she picks up speed and strength as she goes on. She tells him about Giratina appearing and helping her hide, the legendary leading her and Samir to Tobias, and how she defeated the steelix with the help of the blast seeds. Tobias locks his jaw every time she trails off, clearly trying to figure out how to soften the fact that she—or he or Samir—brushed close to death yet again. He feels terrible for leaving that all on her.

But he also can’t help feeling impressed, too.

“Quick thinking,” he comments, when she reaches the end of her retelling. “And...I am sorry for leaving you to fight him alone. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”

Nia gives him a tired smile. “I’m upset that you dragged us down there in the first place, not that you got knocked out. You couldn’t help that.”

Their discussion is interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Tobias looks up in time to see a familiar skiddo face peer through the cracked opening.

“Samir!” Nia says, sounding happy but unsurprised. “C’mon in. Tobias is up!”

The skiddo shoulders their way into the room, giving Tobias a once-over as if to gauge how injured he is. Tobias raises a brow in return. When Samir is satisfied that the charmander isn’t going to keel over, they sit down and fix him with a heavy glare.

Tobias frowns back, not appreciating the immediate ire. “What?”

Samir adopts an incredulous expression. They look to Nia, then back to Tobias, then back again.

Nia barks a laugh. “Are you asking if I scolded him yet for dragging us down there?”

Samir nods.

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, she already chewed me out about it.”

Samir closes their eyes and lifts their nose into the air as if to say, Good. Tobias gives in to the childish urge to blow a puff of smoke in the grass type’s face. Samir rears back with a wrinkled nose, kicking a small cushion at Tobias in retaliation.

“Okay, settle down!” Nia laughs, yanking the pillow from Tobias’ grip. “Now that Tobias is feeling better, I wanted to talk to you too, Samir.”

Tobias and Samir pause their feud to eye the riolu, wary. Nia’s innocent tone would normally mean something bad for Tobias, but her gaze is currently focused on Samir.

“Don’t look at me like that! I just wanted to say you fought really well down in the mines.”

Ah. Tobias sees immediately where she’s going with this. He smirks.

Samir clearly follows as well. They give Nia an unamused look.

Nia throws her hands up. “No, seriously! You were the perfect teammate!”

Samir's gaze moves to the door as if they’re legitimately thinking about getting up and leaving. Nia shoots Tobias a pleading look.

Tobias huffs. “She’s right, you know. She’s not just being nice.”

At that, Samir pauses. They fix Tobias with a solemn, searching look. Oh. They’re…actually taking Tobias seriously. He wasn’t expecting that.

Tobias clears his throat and straightens up. “You held your own down there.”

“And when we were fighting Eddy you worked perfectly with us!” Nia adds. “Totally in sync.”

Samir blinks at the two of them, wide-eyed. There’s some kind of emotion building behind their stoic expression. Tobias thinks he sees the skiddo’s mouth tremble.

Tobias snorts, trying to defuse the tension. “Your old partner’s an idiot if they thought you being mute meant you couldn’t work as a team. And your guildmaster’s an even bigger idiot if they wrote you off too.”

Nia nods emphatically.

At that, Samir ducks their head. Their shoulders shake.

“Yeah, you’d be an awesome addition to any team!” Nia adds. But this time, she looks to Tobias while Samir is distracted by wiping at their face. Her eyes are wide and hopeful as she looks between Samir and Tobias.

Oh. Tobias leans back, something like panic shooting through him. Is she really asking if she can invite the skiddo to join their team? That’s a huge decision! Not something she can just spring on him! Nia winces at his expression and makes a soothing gesture.

Tobias doesn’t say anything, warily letting her take the lead.

When Samir finally pulls themself together a bit, Nia gently says, “You know, if you ever feel like moving to the Lexym Guild, I’m sure August would love to have you. He’d get you paired up with a team in no time!”

Nia glances at Tobias, and he relaxes, giving her a tired nod. That’s…fine. No promises of a place on their team, but an offer of help and a better place for the skiddo to live. They can talk later about Nia apparently wanting to expand their team. The thought puts a pit in Tobias’ stomach, some part of him whispering that she just wants to replace her grumpy mess of a partner who keeps dragging her into death traps.

But then Nia lights up at his approving nod, tail wagging behind her, and somehow that helps ward away the bad thoughts.

“You don’t have to decide right now of course,” Nia says. “But…just keep it in mind, okay?”

Samir sniffs one last time and nods, avoiding both of their eyes. Tobias relates to the skiddo’s embarrassment when it comes to emotions, and hurriedly fishes for another topic of conversation to get the ball rolling.

Nia answers his questions about the aftermath of the mines. She tells him that he’s only been out for a day, and that Granite and Takeo didn't seem too mad about them disobeying orders and sneaking out. Apparently they just seemed relieved to see the three of them safe.

Tobias sees what she means when Granite and Takeo bring the three of them a small supper in the evening, commenting that it’s good to see Tobias up and awake. Takeo grumbles about reckless kids and their hero complexes, but there’s no real heat to the words. Nia and Samir both give Tobias pointed looks that he returns with a glare. He doesn’t have a “hero complex”—if anyone does, it’s Nia. He just has a mission to accomplish.

The rest of the night passes peacefully, with Samir leaving shortly after the meal.

By the next morning, Tobias is feeling more or less back to normal. Nia watches fretfully as he removes the bandages from his leg and checks the long, scabbed-over gash on his thigh. It’s probably going to scar, but it seems like it's healed enough to travel.

“We could rest for another day,” Nia suggests.

“We’ve got places to be,” Tobias objects, stretching his leg. “Did you get that information from Granite yet for solving the town’s earthquake problem?”

Nia shakes her head. “No. I figured since it’s from Rosalind you’d want to read it first. I can go ask Granite for it?"

At Tobias’ assent, the riolu leaves the room. Tobias takes a deep breath and rises to his feet to stretch out his sore, stiff limbs.

Rosalind promised them info on Team Zenith, on the outlaws, if they finished this mission for her. Tobias hopes it’s something substantial and doesn’t just lead them on a wild yungoos chase. They fought too hard for this not to be worth it.

After a minute or so, Tobias feels Granite’s heavy footsteps moving closer, down the hall. Nia comes pattering into the room just ahead of the donphan, moving to Tobias’ side and glancing not-so-subtly at his leg.

“Heard you were itchin’ to get movin’,” Granite greets them. The donphan has a satchel across his broad back—maybe preparing to go out for the day?

“I-I think so,” Nia says, bowing to Granite. “Thank you for everything! We really appreciate you letting us board here for the past few days.”

Granite waves her off with his trunk. “Straighten up, pup. If anything, we should be doin’ more to thank y’all. You stopped the quakes and even gave us some fresh mining work! Asra's in your debt. If you ever need help or somewhere to stay, you two know where to find us.”

Nia looks sentimental at that declaration. Tobias would bet money that she’s debating whether or not to give the older ‘mon a hug.

Before she can figure it out, Tobias clears his throat. “I’m glad we could help. Rosalind promised us some information in exchange for this mission?”

Granite’s easygoing expression fades. “Right. Listen, I know I said it before and you kids can handle yourselves, but be careful with Rosa, all right? That hatterene’s sketchier than a smeargle.”

Tobias gives an impatient nod.

“Here,” Granite sighs, digging a rolled-up piece of parchment paper out of his satchel with his trunk. “Came in from Rosa the other day, so I guess she was confident you’d get the job done. Sure hope it was worth nearly gettin’ yourselves killed.”

Tobias snatches the paper, quickly ripping it open. Nia quietly thanks Granite before crowding closer to Tobias to read over his shoulder.

Team Scarlet,

I trust that your determination will lead you to the answers our client seeks. In return, I’ve found a delightful piece of information about Team Zenith.

I have word that one of the outlaws, Asra the crobat, settled down just a few short miles from your current location.

Tobias’ breath catches. The crobat is near…here? But what does she mean by “settled down?” Is he hiding out or something? What about his other teammates? Why would he separate from them?

Tobias’ hold crinkles the paper under his hands. He reads on.

Word is that he may have taken on a new alias, going by the name Vesper.

I will warn you that this information is from two years ago, so there is a chance that the crobat has moved on to a different location. However, I thought you would still appreciate the opportunity to explore while you’re in the area.

Tobias reads on, taking in the directions to the supposed location, a few miles outside of town and just off the main road. Apparently the crobat uses a stack of stones as a marker for the turn. He and Nia must’ve passed the spot on their way into Asra without even noticing it.

Nia finishes reading before Tobias does, wordlessly pulling back. When Tobias catches up, he looks up to meet her eyes. She has an unreadable, serious expression on her face.

“Are we ready for this?” Nia murmurs.

“We have to be,” Tobias rasps in return. He glances down at the directions one more time before rolling the parchment back up. “If he is there, you can stay back. I don’t want to drag you into a fight if you don’t feel ready for it, and it’s my business anyways.”

Nia makes a quiet sound of protest, reaching out to touch his hand until he looks at her again. “I’m not leaving. We’re a team, remember? But just…try not to go running in before we can scope it out, all right? Remember what I said before. Let’s go in with a plan.”

Tobias isn’t sure how he can possibly manage that when he knows he’s about to come face-to-face with one of the outlaws who ruined his life. He’s already shaking, adrenaline buzzing beneath his skin. But Nia has a point. He can’t go running in and get himself killed before taking down the other two. Or worse, drag Nia down with him.

Stiffly, Tobias nods. Nia looks relieved, and gives his hand a squeeze before saying that she’ll get their satchel ready so they can head out. Tobias is grateful that she’s so willing to leave right away. He doesn’t think he could’ve handled having to hang around here knowing that the crobat is so close.

“Oi, little Char.”

Tobias looks back to Granite. The donphan gestures for Tobias to follow him, then shoulders aside the door and walks out into the hall, towards the front of the building where the shop is. Tobias glances at Nia before hesitantly trailing the ground-type’s thudding footsteps.

When Tobias enters the shop, he finds Granite shuffling out from between the shelves. The donphan is gently holding the little stringed guitar that Tobias had seen the first day they got to Asra.

Tobias can’t help the way his eyes linger on it, heart aching for a distant memory of music. To his surprise, Granite takes a step forward and holds the guitar out to him.

“It’s yours,” Granite says, more of a demand than a request. “A little something extra to say thanks, for all the trouble you went to to help us out. We appreciate it.”

Tobias stares at the guitar, stunned. Slowly, his hands drift out to take it. The wood is smooth and cool in his hands.

“Take good care of it now, y’hear?”

Tobias blinks, swallowing hard against a lump in his throat. Eventually, he manages to say, “Nia and Samir did most of the work.”

“I already gave the riolu a book she’s been eyeing. Just take it and don’t get yourself killed before you actually learn to play.”

Tobias, too choked up to speak, just nods his thanks, cradling the instrument close. Granite huffs in response and trundles back to the counter before Tobias can embarrass himself further.

For a moment, it’s all Tobias thinks about. He runs a thumb over one of the strings—it needs tightened and probably tuned, but the instrument is in fairly good shape. The wood is solid but flexible, a beautiful copper color and smooth to the touch, expertly carved.

He can try playing—can try making music like his family used to do, humming and singing in their cave. He can show those half-remembered melodies off to Nia, and Maggie! Maggie has a nice singing voice like his mom did and—

Like she did. Before everything. Before Team Zenith.

The rising euphoria in his chest plummets back to Earth.

Tobias doesn’t have time for this right now. He finally has a solid lead on one of the outlaws. He needs to focus on that, on what he’ll do when he meets with the crobat face-to-face.

Nia appears from the hall, worried expression lightening when she sees him holding the guitar.

Tobias ignores her probing look, taking the satchel from her to carry it himself. He carefully tucks the guitar away inside, making sure it’s cushioned by softer items. He feels hesitant to put it away, but he can always try it out later, once this is dealt with. This is more important.

“So we’re heading out right away?” Nia asks.

“Yeah.”

Nia nods, glancing at Granite. “Let me say goodbye to a few people. I’ll keep it quick.”

Tobias sighs, but gestures impatiently for her to get on with it.

He trails behind her as she says her thanks and goodbyes to Granite and Takeo. Granite gives them both hearty slaps on the back and tells them not to die. Takeo sends them off with a quiet blessing from his ancestors. Nia, of course, almost cries, giving them both a watery smile and a wave as they step off the porch.

“We only knew them for a few days,” Tobias points out, both exasperated and amused.

“So?” Nia sniffs. “It doesn’t matter how long you know someone. I’ll still miss them.”

Nia makes a point to stop by Deidra’s ruined saloon next, where the construction has been halted in Eddy’s absence. Luckily, Deidra (and Cody, staying close to her side like a comforting mountain) don’t seem angry with Nia and Tobias for arresting one of their own. They both thank the two of them for stopping the dewott before anyone else could get hurt. Deidra even refills Nia’s canteen and hands Tobias a few hydration berries for the journey ahead, giving them a wink.

Nia leads them to the edge of town next, where Calder and Samir are standing outside of Lara’s house.

“Word is you two are heading out,” Calder says, tipping his head in a capless greeting. “You sure you’re feeling well enough to get back on the road?”

Samir looks at them with an unreadable expression.

“We’ve rested enough,” Tobias says, hiking the satchel higher on his shoulder. “We have somewhere we need to be.”

At his side, Nia offers a helpless shrug and an apologetic smile of agreement.

“Hm.” Calder looks at them for a moment with lidded eyes. Then, he nods. “Well, you two take care of yourself. I’ll be sure to pass along word to the guild about your help.”

“Oh,” Nia says, exchanging a surprised look with Tobias. They’d thought they weren’t going to get any recognition for this one, since it wasn’t an official mission. “Thank you!”

“Least I can do,” Calder scoffs, for a moment looking a bit self-deprecating. Then he shakes his head. “You two take care of yourselves, all right? No more jumping into dangerous situations without backup.”

Nia gives Tobias a pointed jab with her elbow. Tobias hisses under his breath and elbows her back.

Calder almost looks amused. Then, he tips his head to them again. “Let me know if y’all ever need any help. Asra’s authority has your back.”

And with that, the inteleon strides off, leaving them alone with Samir. This silence feels a bit heavier, a bit more loaded with indecision and emotion.

Eventually, Nia says, “I meant what I said yesterday, you know. The Lexym Guild would be happy to have you as a Seeker.”

Samir’s stiff posture and hard expression soften, just a bit, under Nia’s reminder. They sigh, then write in the dirt.

THANKS

WILL THINK ABOUT IT

NEED TO HELP TOWN RECOVER

Nia looks disappointed, but smiles all the same. “That’s sweet of you to hang around and get everyone back on their feet.”

“Just don’t let your old partner or your guild push you around,” Tobias gruffs.

Samir gives them a small, subdued smile and a nod. Nia sniffles. Tobias isn’t at all surprised to look over and see her blinking back tears, mouth wobbly.

“Arceus,” he huffs, rolling his eyes.

“What? It was great having Samir with us!” Nia defends, voice wavering. She turns back to the skiddo. “Really. We’ll miss you. Take care, okay? Hopefully we see you sooner rather than later.”

Samir seems caught off-guard by the riolu’s emotions. They fluster, shuffling their hooves for a moment before nodding and writing, YOU TOO.

Nia does start crying at that, just a little bit. Samir, panicked, steps closer as if to try and help, and Nia takes the opportunity to give them a parting hug.

Tobias stuffs down a sharp jab of annoyance and rolls his eyes. “Nia.”

Nia frees Samir, who looks embarrassed by the affection as they take a step back, straightening their posture. Tobias spots a zebstrika-pulled cart ahead, being loaded up with goods and likely about to head out.

He nudges Nia. “We need to get going if we want to try hitching a ride.”

“Oh! Right. Thanks again, Samir. Stay safe.”

Tobias hurries over to the pair of zebstrika hooked up to the cart, asking if he and Nia could hitch a ride a few miles outside of town. The electric types request a few poké in return, which Tobias grudgingly hands over.

Soon enough, the two of them are bouncing along atop a small cart of goods. They slowly trundle up the narrow path circling the canyon wall, watching Fort Asra shrink below them, a deep blue sky overhead and a canyon of warm, bright tans below.

It’s past noon by time they catch sight of the landmark listed on the map: a large stack of stones at the side of the road, taller than Tobias and Nia combined. Tobias calls for the cart to stop so they can disembark, waving off the zebstrika with a word of thanks.

As the cart wheels away, leaving a faint cloud of dust in its wake, Nia leans in to peer at the directions over Tobias’ shoulder. “You’re sure this is the right place?”

“Rosalind’s info says this is the landmark.” He squints at the dirt ahead, trying to summon up some of Samir’s tracking abilities. “Am I losing it, or is there a trail here?”

Nia tilts her head, as if that’ll help her see better. “…Maybe?” She takes a deep breath, nose twitching.

Tobias suddenly recalls Fen’s words from long ago, when Nia first showed up. “Hey, why don’t you ever use your nose to try tracking?”

Nia looks over her shoulder, as if he’s talking to someone else. She looks back to him, bewildered. “Me?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, you! You see any other riolu out here?”

Nia frowns and looks down at her nose, cross-eyed. “I…I guess I’ve never tried? I usually try to ignore my nose when we go places, since smells are so strong in this body. It all just jumbles together and gets really overwhelming.”

Tobias supposes that makes sense. He keeps Rosalind’s instructions out but starts a tentative path forward across the rocky desert landscape, trying to follow the faint remains of a path he thinks he sees. “So humans don’t use their noses to track?”

Nia laughs, which gives him his answer. “Nope! We can use scent dogs to track things, but our sense of smell isn’t good enough for that. Do you really think I could learn to do that?”

“Yeah? You’re a riolu. You just gotta…learn to separate the smells or something.”

“Ah, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Tobias gives her a dry look, before turning back to the map. He only looks at it in short glimpses, sparing the rest of his attention for their surroundings. He doesn’t want to be caught off-guard by anyone, even if everything is so bright and open out here that it’d be hard to sneak up on them.

“Maybe we can find a tracker when we get back to the guild,” Tobias says after a few minutes, hearing Nia taking deep breaths as if trying to absorb the desert scents.

“That would be cool,” Nia murmurs, distracted as she takes another lungful of air. “It’s actually easier out here, since there aren’t a lot of different things to smell.”

Tobias hums and they continue on, scrabbling over rocky terrain and scraggly plants, occasionally ducking under low rock formations. Tobias enjoys the sun against his skin, more than comfortable encased in heat, but Nia has to dig out her water flask within minutes and needs to take periodic breathers in patches of cooler shade. Tobias tries to be patient and not rush her, knowing riolu aren’t built for this climate like he is.

Eventually, Tobias spots another stack of stones shimmering in the desert heat, and he steers them in that direction even as he increases his wary glances around the environment. He does feel better about seeking out the crobat in the height of the day, when he would naturally be asleep, but he doesn’t want them to be caught off-guard. The crobat’s hideout is only supposed to be a mile or so off the main road, after all.

It's late afternoon when Tobias finally spots something out of place in the distance: a small Pokemon-made structure, high off the ground and built into the side of a rocky spire. He points it out to Nia, putting Rosalind’s directions away, and the two of them tread closer on quiet feet.

When they’ve gotten close enough, they crouch behind some nearby rocks and peer up at the strange structure. Tobias isn’t sure exactly what he was expecting, but it wasn’t…this.

The building almost looks quaint. Like a little house. It’s a small wooden structure built into the side of a spire of rock, 15 yards or so off the ground. A rickety, narrow staircase zigzags up the rock face to lead to the front door. Most baffling, there are flowers growing in a basket on the windowsill, and colorful, almost scribble-like markings on the side of the rocky spire that Tobias can’t decipher from here.

“It kind of looks like a house,” Nia murmurs, sounding as confused as he feels.

“Don’t let your guard down."

This has to be a trap or something. He pulls out the letter from Rosalind again, scanning it to be sure they got the directions right. Not like they’ve seen any other buildings since leaving Asra—they’re truly in the desolate emptiness of the desert now. Only someone hiding away from the world or wanting to go completely off the grid would choose to live out here.

Could Asra—or Vesper, or whatever he’s going by—really be here? Tobias has to admit this place doesn’t look like somewhere a murderous outlaw would be hiding, but maybe that’s the point.

“Maybe we should stake it out for a bit,” Nia suggests, eyeing Tobias worriedly as if expecting him to run up to the door with his claws out and flames burning.

Tobias grunts his agreement, sitting down and peering around the edge of the rock to keep his eyes locked on the building’s front door.

This just…doesn’t feel right. Tobias always imagined when he came face-to-face with any of the outlaws from Team Zenith, it’d be an immediate fight to the finish, out in the wilds. Not…this. Not waiting for the crobat to show up and…what? Water his flowers?

Some part of Tobias wants to laugh. Another part of him feels sick to his stomach. He can’t pinpoint exactly why, but his heart is slowly speeding up. Rosalind did say that the information was from a few years back. Could the crobat have moved on?

He continues to stare down the door. Waiting. Distantly, he hears Nia ask him something once or twice, but he can’t seem to pull his focus back to her. It feels like he has to keep all of his attention on that door, no matter what. Like it’s a matter of life and death.

Slowly, the minutes tick by in tense silence. The sun sinks lower, edging towards sunset.

Tobias is only broken out of the spell when he hears a noise of some kind from inside the structure. A high shriek. He stands, tensed and ready to run for the door. What was that? Does someone need help? Is the crobat hurting someone in there right now?

Before he can move from their hiding spot, Nia grabs his arm. He jumps, startled by the sudden touch.

“Wait,” She whispers. “I hear—”

The door slams open, and high-pitched laughter spills out. Two small shapes burst outside and unfurl their wings, giggling and circling each other in the air with quick, frenetic wingbeats. Too small to be the crobat, and neither one is the right color. Plus their voices are too young.

“Kids?” Nia murmurs, sounding just as confused as Tobias feels.

“Be back at midnight for supper!” A voice calls from inside the house. A moment later, the distinct angular ears and pink heart nose of a swoobat leans out the door.

The two kids flap their wings to hover in place, finally still enough to see. They’re little more than tiny blue puffballs with matching heart noses and toothy grins. Something about them feels slightly strange, though, and it puts Tobias on edge.

“Okay, Mom!”

“And don’t play too close to any unstable rocks. You know the rules.”

The kids—woobats—groan but agree before zipping away.

The swoobat sighs and mutters something to herself before propping open the door and heading back inside.

Tobias stares at where the psychic-type disappeared, his stomach sinking. There’s…a family living here, which means the crobat has to have moved on. Surely he’s not sticking around the area, not with witnesses living so close by. They seem comfortable here, too. Familiar. Like they've lived here for a while.

“He’s not here,” Tobias says, toneless. They missed another lead. He rubs at his face, trying to decode and push away whatever wave of emotion is lapping at his heels. Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel good. “Great.”

Nia glances back at the house. “Maybe this family has an idea of where he could’ve gone?”

“You think the wanted murderer made nice with the neighbors before going on the run?”

Nia twists her mouth in a way that means she isn’t exactly hopeful about the possibility herself. Still, she stands and says, “I’m going to go ask. No harm in checking, right?”

She says it as if she’s going to go alone, but Tobias immediately straightens up to follow her. He’s not going to sit down here and have her do the investigating for him.

Nia relents, leading the way to the base of the old wooden stairs built into the side of the rockface. The wood creaks and dips under their weight, but doesn’t give. As they climb, the bright markings on the side of the spire become much clearer with proximity. Tobias can see now that they’re wobbly, messy children’s drawings. Like the ones he and Vivi used to make on the inside of their cave growing up. He swallows hard and moves his eyes back to the steps.

As they reach the top landing, the faint sound of humming that Tobias had barely registered cuts off. A moment later, the swoobat pokes her head out of the doorway, ears perking and eyes growing wide at the sight of Nia and Tobias.

“Oh! Hello there. Are you two lost?”

Tobias opens his mouth to answer, then thinks better of it when he already feels off-kilter.

Nia steps in. “Hello! No, we were actually looking for someone, but it doesn’t look like he’s here. We were wondering if you maybe knew him before you moved in?”

The swoobat relaxes at the question, stepping out onto the makeshift porch. She’s holding a small dish towel between her wings. “I’ve lived here since this house was built, actually.”

Tobias looks up at the swoobat’s face, startled. “What?”

“Oh!” Nia seems equally unprepared for that statement. “W-Well, um. Do you happen to know of anybody living nearby named Asra? O-Or Vesper.”

“A crobat,” Tobias adds, voice tight.

The swoobat drops the dish towel, fluffy collar puffing with surprise. Then, her ears lower as her expression weighs down with something deeply sad. “Vesper? Yes, he…he was my mate.”

Tobias’ breath catches. He stares at the swoobat as his mind fumbles and blanks. Thoughts drain away from him like water.

Mate?

“Was?” Nia echoes gently, after a moment of stunned silence.

The swoobat takes a shuddering, bracing breath, picking up the dish towel with her flexible pink tail. “Yes. Vess passed a little over a year ago, after an accident. I’m…I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I didn’t know many of his friends to notify them.”

Through a numbing static, Tobias hears Nia stutter, “O-Oh! No, we weren’t—I mean…”

“He’s dead?” Tobias rasps.

The swoobat squeezes her eyes shut tight, as if pained by the very reminder. “Yes. Would you like to see his resting place? I’m sure he’d appreciate you stopping by.”

Nia glances at Tobias like he's a live bomb, clearly worried that he’s about to fall apart. Strangely, Tobias feels blank instead. Hollow. His mouth responds for him. “Yes.”

The swoobat gives him a sympathetic look. She asks him and Nia to meet her back at the bottom of the stairs before gliding off the edge of the wooden platform and spiraling down.

Nia turns to him immediately. “Tobias—"

“Let’s go,” He says. “I want to see it.”

Nia looks like she wants to argue. But then she nods, moving towards the stairs and waiting for him to match her steps. As if he might fall off if she moves even a step ahead of him.

Tobias doesn’t register much in the next few minutes. He vaguely feels himself moving down the steps. Realizes at some point that he and Nia are following the swoobat a short distance away across dirt and desert sand to a small cave. The psychic-type’s soft, compassionate voice grates on his ears. Nia is a warm weight glued to his side. He matches her steps, unable to do much else.

And then he’s there, standing in a tiny cave surrounded by cool air. Bright sunset light spills in from behind, painting everything warm against heavy shadows. The swoobat has left, probably for their privacy. Nia has taken a step away to give him space, but he can feel the weight of her gaze.

In front of Tobias sits a small monument, carefully carved and lovingly cared for. Desert flowers and dried berries sit at its foot, carefully arranged.

Vesper

Beloved Mate and Father

Now One with Lunala’s Stars

Among the offerings, Tobias sees a simple painting, likely made by the two children they’d glimpsed earlier. There’s a large purple blob surely meant to represent the crobat, smiling with wide white fangs. Two smaller, bluer blobs sit happily under his wings.

And somehow that is what brings Tobias’ emotions roaring back.

He thinks of the two woobat he saw earlier, about how they felt slightly off to him. He realizes now what it was. They were just a bit speedier than Tobias would expect of such young Pokemon. As fast as the blur of violet wings from his memory. Their fluffy fur just a shade closer to violet than blue.

The crobat who helped destroy his family, who ruined his life, had kids. Had a mate, and a home. He had happiness, after ripping all of that away from Tobias. And he didn’t even have the decency to live long enough to look Tobias in the eye when he came to ask why.

Rage pours through Tobias, hotter than any flame he’s ever wielded.

One instant he’s at Nia’s side. The next, he’s lunging forward with a feral cry. The children’s painting is torn to shreds beneath his claws. The flowers and berries are set ablaze in a flash of fire, bright and hot. He lunges for the stone next, aiming to crack it against the wall until it snaps and crumbles.

Strong arms hook around his middle, yanking him back.

Tobias’ responding snarl almost drowns out Nia’s call of his name, but she only tightens her grip. He writhes and tries to get traction on the dirt, but she drags him back, towards the opening of the cave. Once they’re a few feet away, she swings him around and lets go, standing as a barrier between him and his target. She’s panting, wide-eyed.

“Move!” Tobias snaps.

“T-Tobias, I know you’re upset but—”

“Move!” Tobias snarls, embers spitting from his mouth.

“Tobias, you need to take a second and—”

“Don’t tell me what I need!” He hisses. He tries to push through Nia’s stance, only for her to catch him and lock her hands with his, leaving them eye to eye and straining for ground.

“Tobias, she’s going to come back and see—"

“So what?! She needs to know! She should know that her mate killed a family in cold blood!”

“That won’t help anything!” Nia says through gritted teeth. “What will that accomplish?! Make her feel guilty for loving someone so horrible? Make her kids feel like there’s something tainted in their blood? It won’t help anyone! He’s dead!”

“Maybe they deserve to live with it!” Tobias shouts. He feels panicked as his rage falters into something heavier. Traitorous tears prick hot at the back of his eyes. “Someone should have to!”

Nia falters, eyes going wide. Tobias could break through easily now, if he tried. Instead, he tightens his grip on her hands, trying to stoke his rage back to its full power.

“What right do you have to stop me?! You don’t get it!”

“Tobias,” Nia murmurs, looking uncertain. “I…”

Tobias stares at her, panting, as tears bubble up in his eyes. He’s shaking as the rage mixes with grief in his chest, boiling under his skin both ice cold and magma hot.

“You don’t get it,” he repeats, voice breaking.

Nia stares at him, brow furrowed. Slowly, her hold loosens. She slips free of him, stepping back and out of Tobias’ way. She looks at the memorial, then him, then away.

“You’re right. I-I…I don’t understand. But if this will help, then…I won’t stop you.”

Tobias…doesn’t know what to do with that. His fury has already started to die down after the riolu’s interruption. The magma has hardened to something heavy and horrible, weighing him down. He doesn’t want to sit with that. He wants the fire back.

Tobias staggers forward, back to the memorial. His feet brush through fine ash, still smoldering. He stares at the gravesite through his tears, the delicate carvings of a crobat and lunala blurring. He raises a hand, claws at the ready, but can’t seem to bring it down. That just makes him feel worse.

Tobias swallows thickly, a sob shuddering from his chest. He came here with the intent of taking the crobat down, taking him into custody or even killing him if it came to it. He'd thought for eight years about the questions he would get answers to, the vindication he would feel tearing down one of the monsters who destroyed his life.

Instead, he’s at the grave of a Pokemon who had a mate and kids, who had a family that loved him. It feels…twisted. Wrong. Like he’s in a bad dream.

Tobias’ legs give out beneath him, and he leans forward to rest his head on the stone, cries ripping from his throat. The ugly thing in his chest doesn’t seem to die down, only raging on and on and on.

He can feel it, when Nia hesitantly joins him. She kneels at his side.

He looks up at her, gut churning with nausea. “Why did he get to be happy? He didn’t—he didn’t deserve to…”

Nia’s expression crumbles, and for a moment Tobias thinks she might start crying too. “I don't know,” she says, soft. She hesitantly slides a paw up to rub circles into his back. “I’m sorry, Tobias.”

Tobias doesn’t realize he’s leaning into her until she's already wrapping him up in a hug. He hugs her back tight enough to hurt, but the pressure and the warmth and the soft texture of her fur helps, somehow. It feels grounding. Gives him something to latch onto aside from the turbulent waves of his emotions.

He doesn’t know how long he cries, soaking Nia’s fur and shuddering through waves of nausea. She murmurs quiet, meaningless comforts to him. Rocks with him and uses her thumbs to trace soothing circles against his back.

By time Tobias is somewhat calm again, he feels like the wrung-out dish rag the swoobat had been holding earlier. Flimsy and worn, with a few holes and gritty stains left behind.

The light coming in from the cave��s opening is now gray and weak, dusk on the cusp of night.

Tobias sniffs, staring sightlessly at the ruined bits of the memorial beneath them, now nothing more than scattered ash blending in with the dirt floor.

“I want them to hurt, too,” Tobias says, voice tight. “I know I shouldn’t.”

Nia squeezes him tighter.

“I know they didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t know, but…”

Before Tobias can fully form that thought, he sniffs and leans away from Nia, wiping at his eyes. It feels cold without her so close.

They both look at the gravestone in front of them, so carefully carved and lovingly cared for. But it’s alone, out here in the wilderness. He can’t touch anyone else, buried six feet under and miles from civilization.

It still feels too good for him. Some part of Tobias still wants to kick the headstone over and scorch it black. He wants to dig up the crobat’s bones and scatter them in the desert sand. But that part of him feels ugly and too much like the monster buried in front of him, so he tries to let it make itself known before passing through his mind.

A quiet sound at the mouth of the cave catches Nia’s attention, and Tobias follows her gaze.

The swoobat has returned, framed by dusk light. Her round eyes are focused on the absence of gifts at the foot of the grave, at the ashes left in their wake. Tobias expects her to be upset, to yell and chase them out. Instead, her gaze moves to Tobias, brow furrowing into something like realization.

There’s a heavy moment of silence.

Finally, the swoobat breaks it, stepping forward. “Vess always held a lot of…regret. For something that happened in his past. He wouldn’t tell me about it, but he mentioned that it’s why he parted ways from his team all those years ago and settled down near Asra. It’s where he was born.”

Before Tobias can respond to that, the swoobat’s gaze flicks away, nervous.

“He was very upset once. When we bumped into a charmander at the market to the south. Wouldn’t talk for a week. D-Did…did something..?”

Tobias feels the weight of expectation settle onto him, but he’s so tired that it barely registers what he’s hearing. How is he supposed to react to this revelation? How is he supposed to feel knowing that the crobat apparently felt some measure of guilt for what he was a part of? That he was upset about it?

Ha. Lot of good guilt does. Doesn’t bring back his family.

The embers of rage spark back to life. Not blazing, but hot enough to put Tobias’ limbs into motion. Tobias staggers to his feet, then towards the swoobat. The psychic-type stands strong and stares back at him, expression resolute even as her body trembles.

She’s scared. Terrified that Tobias is going to tell her something she never wanted to hear. That he’s going to ruin the memory of her beloved mate and the father to her kids. Tobias wants to. He wants to watch her face fall with shock and horror. Wants to spread the terrible grief caused by the crobat’s actions like a toxin.

But Tobias thinks of Nia’s words. Thinks of those kids. Thinks of how much guilt he carries for not being strong enough to protect his sister. Thinks how terrible he would feel for someone he loved and admired to be responsible for such loss.

“Your mate,” Tobias finally spits. “Wasn’t a good Pokemon. At least he wasn’t a terrible father.”

The words feel like acid in his throat. He doesn’t know if leaving her in the dark is a mercy or a punishment. He shoves past the swoobat, stomping away into the desert. Away from their happy little home and the gravestone of a murderer.

He walks, and walk, and walks. Lets the rhythm of the motion replace his thoughts. Eyes ahead, unseeing of the desert around him.

Tobias doesn’t come back to himself until he stumbles over a stone in the ground. He catches himself on his hands and knees, scuffing them. The pain seems to jog something in his brain, because he suddenly settles back into the shell of his body.

The dirt is cooling quickly beneath him with the falling night. Nia is at his side, watching silently. Overhead, stars glitter like layers of crystal. Tobias thinks he can hear the distant laughter of the woobat children.

“Tobias?” Nia asks, soft voice loud in the night air.

“Should I have told her?”

Nia falters. Then, almost too quiet to hear, she murmurs, “I don’t know.”

Tobias takes a deep breath, letting it out in a puff of steam that wisps and curls. He stands. “Let’s go.”

“A-Are you sure?”

Tobias nods, rubbing at his sore, tired eyes. “Let’s just…go find Edme. We still need to learn more about Giratina."

Nia stares at him with worried eyes. She must be able to tell that he’s just looking for something else to focus on. That he just wants to leave, and not think about any of this for a while. That he wants to get some distance between himself and the sweet little family his personal monster left behind.

Tobias expects her to bring it up, to say that they need to talk about it. Instead, Nia slowly nods, reaching out to slip their satchel off Tobias’ shoulder and over her own. She hesitates, then reaches out a paw to take his hand, gently tugging him into motion. Tobias doesn’t fight her, grateful as she leads his unmoored body back towards the road.

[the-kr8tor]

Today was a rollercoaster of emotions but I GOT MY SECONDS DONE.... Daily Hobie HC! Week four, day five! Hobie tapped his fingers gently against your shoulder, resting his chin close to the nape of your neck, wondering whether he should ask or not. Finally, Hobie caved and decided to ask if he could have a drink, feeling somewhat exhausted. Once you gave him the greenlight, pulling away the fabric of your shirt from his neck, Hobie took his time to gently prep the area, not failing to tease you a little. He spared a few licks to your neck on where he planned to sink his fangs into. After a few moments, Hobie gently unfurled his fangs into your skin. The sting only lasted for a few seconds before your blood began to flow into his mouth. It felt odd, having your blood taken by a vampire. It was like having a blood test, but instead of a simple butterfly needle or syringe, it's like a vacuum taking out blood. In between his feed, Hobie stopped to run his tongue over the puncture wounds, kissing your cheek and murmuring words of encouragement. You were still a bit new to the whole thing, so Hobie was being slow and careful. Your hands held onto his, which were wrapped around your waist. All of a sudden, you began to feel a little lighthearted, even tired yourself. Without thinking, you close your eyes and let yourself be taken away to sleep. Meanwhile, Hobie immediately pulled away in panic. His fingers went to your pulse, his shoulders dropping slightly at the realization that you were alive, and that he didn't completely suck you dry. Hobie licked the puncture wounds a few times for a final coat, so it healed more quicker and didn't hurt too much when healing. Hobie gently picked you up in a bridal carry, leaning your head against his chest as he walked towards the bed. He placed a bottle of juice on the bedside before properly tucking you in, worried about what happened. He sat at the edge of the bed for a while, before giving in and joining you under the covers as well. Hobie hugged your tired body close, rubbing soft circles on your back. So far, he wasn't able to sense anything wrong apart from the fact that you might've already been sleepy. Either way, he felt incredibly guilty. Once you started to regain conscious, Hobie peppered your face with pecks, apologizing for if he was feeding too heavily or if something was wrong. In the midst of your sleep-muddled state, you chuckled and reassured him that nothing happened. You didn't even properly remember it, stating that you just felt pretty tired and that he was providing a space of comfort and security. Hobie's heart melted upon hearing that from your mouth, pulling you a little closer with a warm squeeze. He allowed you to continue to rest within his arms, internally deciding to just stick to the bags for a few days before trying to feed upon you again. As your eyelids slowly fluttered shut, Hobie pressed a gentle kiss to the ground of your head, his fingers slowly carding through your hair, being sure not to tug or anything. While you slept, he began to braid small strands for fun, his cheeky mind encouraging him to braid your hair and act clueless for when you woke up, wanting to see how long he got away with it...which he knew wouldn't be for long, but worth a shot. -🐦‍⬛

I don't know what that is but good job!

Daily Hobie HC ‼️‼️‼️

Lol I imagined him going "babe, I'm hungry 😔"

Prep the area 😳 what 👁️👄👁️ hobie babes you just need to bite down wdym u need to give R's neck a lil lick huh? 😳

W-wait h-hold on

Hobie pausing a bit to give r a lil kiss in the middle of feeding hnnnngggg 🥰

Lmaoo imagine that r suddenly fell limp in his arms and hobie was immediately panicking and trying to feel your pulse but he's panicking too much and couldn't find it and goes "they're dead! I killed them---" *finds it* "oh nvm just sleepy"

Aww he joined in with the cuddles

Hobie better get r some of their favourite juice and cookies bc that was definitely draining!

Lol r waking up to numerous braids 🤣

[riplever]

[Translation] Translating my favorite moments from Shapolang

/*SPOILER WARNING*/

This is my prep work for future fic-writing.

Gu Yun suddenly goes, "Shall I leave the army to Chang Geng in the future?"

Shen Yi is stupefied. "Just how badly do you want him dead?"

From the look on his face, Shen Yi is very much taking pleasure in his suffering. Gu Yun reaches for the back of head and shoves him face-down into the blankets; then he drifts away listlessly, thinking it might be time to hang himself with a waistband of sorts.

Gu Yun knows the human heart all too well — he knows the more you avoid some things, the more heinously taboo it becomes; like what happens when poison reaches the bone — in far too deep to be removed. So it's with that logic in mind that he decides to show Chang Geng all he has to show — it's just his body after all, what else is there to it?

"If I were born a decade earlier..." Chang Geng suddenly starts.

Liao Ran's eyelid twitches.

Word by heavy word, Chang Geng finishes his sentence: "This world would be a different one."

And he never would ever let Gu Yun go.

Gu Yun does feel that he has the bigger responsibility in this whole affair, and for that he even feels guilty. Under ordinary circumstances, Chang Geng never would have gotten this close to him were if not for his unspoken approval. And even if he hadn't had enough wits to react on the spot back then, thereby leading to their "accident", he still should not have procrastinated... and allowed things to get to their present state.

"That's why..." Gu Yun could only utter those two words. His voice is cracked beyond recognition, and it was physically taxing for him to clear his throat enough to finish the sentence. "So that's why you prescribed him tranquilizers."

(T/N: I find it so interesting that 安神药 is translated as "tranquilizers" in the fandom. It's not the first thing I would have thought of, but it's quite fitting for the wild wolf analogy and is a very chilling word to see.)

At the end of his flute performance, an extremely self-satisfied Gu Yun turns around with a face full of expectations and prompts him. "Wasn't that just lovely?"

"..." Chang Geng hesitates not for a short period of time, and in the end answers sincerely. "It invigorates one's spirit and... will definitely keep our enemies at bay."

Chang Geng couldn't resist any longer. He leans down and plugs Gu Yun's lips with his own.

"My general," his thinks, heart at once sweetened and sorrowed. "Throughout history, how many have been able to shed their armors and retire in one piece from the battlefield? What was that promise for, if none other than to break my heart?"

Unlike the parting kiss on the city wall all those years ago, this one contained much less desperate passion. All of a sudden, a section of Gu Yun's armored heart caves inwards, revealing its softest and most vulnerable underbelly. It's this heart that thinks, "From here on, this person is mine."

That look in Chang Geng's eyes, that expression — Shen Yi's eyes are blinded, and he gravely regrets stepping foot in the manor at this time. Gu Yun, for his part, is just as mute — his waist was pained simply from hearing the word "Stepfather".

Gu Yun wipes the salt from his mouth, reeling from the accusation at being called an "animal". He felt so grievously misunderstood that he could do no more than sit mutely in his corner, unable to plead his own case.

As he chewed on the salted yellow fish, a thought occurs to Gu Yun and he puts half of it in Shen Yi bowl. "How about you finish up dinner and get going soon? You were born with eyes, surely with them you can see how busy he is from having worked so hard all day long. Don't impose here."

An insulted Shen Yi very nearly chokes on the damned salted yellow fish bone. He retaliates lowly, "I come all this way here to play counsellor to your worries, and this is how you thank me? Gu Zixi, you would rather lust for sex than be loyal to our friendship — so this is what they mean when they say time reveals all colors!"

Gu Yun hasn't even gotten the last syllable out of his mouth when he feels a sudden warm wetness on the side of his neck. It's Chang Geng — taking advantage of the present chaos to lick a strip across Gu Yun's skin.

Through the cacophony, he could hear that low voice murmuring right inside his ear. "It's fairly romantic to die for love in this manner, wouldn't you say?"

Gu Yun is speechless.

(My favorite #2)

Perhaps the most unpredictable thing in this world is not the ill intents of one's enemies, but the heart of one's lover — oftentimes sincere, yet still, at times — fleeting.

Chang Geng pleads, "Zixi..."

"There's no need for Zixi," Gu Yun responds evenly. "You may continue addressing me as 'Stepfather'."

Chang Geng smiles without shame, and kisses him with the intent to please. This is something he'd recently discovered — that Gu Yun likes these sticky little kisses, a kind of light pressure between lips. And if he tops this off by staring at him with a careful and attentive expression afterwards, then Gu Yun will say "yes" to just about anything he asks for.

(My favorite #1)

As he said this, there is an almost imperceptible furrow between his brows, his expression practically bleak. Chang Geng has only ever seen this expression one other time, and it was during that new year's eve when they were aboard the Yuan. The Gu Yun of then had toasted three cups of wine to a legion of departed souls, his face etched with this exact same stinging loneliness — as though not even the combined might of all the lanterns in the city could bring him into light.

Chang Geng's eyes flash, and seeing that no one on the cart was paying them any mind, offers in a tantalizingly low voice, "Let me again tonight and I'll show you the blueprint for the railroad."

Horse whip in hand, Gu Yun leans back. "Let you? How many times have I let you? You've used your injuries as an excuse countless of times and you've never let me have my way. Forget it."

Liao Ran raises his eyes to meet his gaze.

Chang Geng's expression is inscrutable. "Ask Chen Qingxu for all the Gu Zixi secrets she's been keeping from me."

(My favorite #3)

Chang Geng's grip tightens as he holds Gu Yun almost protectively. For the first time in his heart, there's none of the dependency he feels towards his little stepfather, and none of the desire he feels towards his beloved. Instead, he feels as though he's cradling a young and delicate child in his arms.

In all the time he's spent ruminating on impossible what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, Chang Geng often tried to imagine what their relationship would have been like had he been been born ten, or even twenty years earlier.

And today, on the bitingly cold frontlines of the Jiangbei warfront, the missing time that he yearned so wretchedly for shrinks to a few tiny inches, left to the dust as he crosses those decades in a single step.

From head to toe, Gu Yun's body is soft everywhere. There seemed to be an invisible wound on his chest, aching dully at the lighest of efforts. He fumbles around blindly by his side, finding his monocle glasses with some fluster. "Let me..."

His head lowered, Chang Geng ignores him. He gently grips Gu Yun's wrist and pushes it back down.

(My favorite #4)

Chang Geng takes the blade and leaves.

To show that he had most definitely kept his word, and had not even so much as tip-toed past the flap of his tent, Gu Yun stood by the entrance as he waited for Chang Geng. He didn't care for any of the blood, sweat or dirt and immediately pulled him into an embrace.

It's only now that Chang Geng feels that bone-deep fatigue. Wobbling ever so slightly, he grasps Gu Yun by the waist and mutters into his ear: "I'm never letting you fight another battle again."

In his ear, Chang Geng whines "pitifully": "I don't have any money to give you. My man took all of it and spent it on wine and women. Why don't you take my body instead?"

His accent is impressive for having spent those few months between the two camps — though Gu Yun doesn't know from whence exactly he'd picked up this wet, nasally cadence from. The syllables for "my man" were especially exaggerated, drawled so petulantly long that it seeped deep into Gu Yun's ears and sent a shiver running straight down his spine. He's hapless against the guiles of a beauty like this one, and can only hand over everything as demanded.

But without any avenue to share his joy, the Yan King could only satisfy himself in secret guilty pleasure. After sending Miss Chen away, he crept back to the manor at night, and wrote a letter to Gu Yun from his room. He didn't post it, and instead tucked it under Gu Yun's pillow when the words had dried.

That still wasn't gratifying enough. Retrieving his treasure trove containing all of Gu Yun's letters, he laid on the bed and re-read every single one of them until each and every last handwritten character and turn of phrase was freshly etched into his brain. With all that in mind, his next move was to craft a "reply" from Gu Yun by imitating his love's handwriting and prose to the letter. His one-man performance only felt deserving then.

In an instant, the General's tent falls quiet — while Gu Yun alone was silenced out of fear, the others were shocked speechless to see the "new emperor" mentioned in the letter standing right here in the flesh.

Only a man like Shen Yi would break an ice this thick. "... Don't even think of blaming me for delivering the message slow."

[hinatastinygiant]

22 | Kifo

Pairing: Uzui x Fem!Reader

The Emptiness You Left

"Are you ready?" Rengoku calls out to you as the two of you stand side-by-side.

"Yep!" you smile back at him.

"Let's go then," he grins as the two of you begin to sprint into the dark forest.

The moon shines down on the two of you and the surrounding area, casting a blue light on the trees and their bare branches. "Why did you pick this place?" you ask while looking around to get your bearings of the entrance.

"I know a nest of demons around here," he explains. "They've been causing trouble for the locals for a long time so I figured this would be the best place to go."

"How far in do we have to go?" you wonder.

"Not too far," he replies. "Don't worry, I know you'll be fine."

You nod and follow him deeper into the woods. As the two of you walk, the moon shines brightly, lighting the path in front of you. Your stomach is a bundle of nerves, but you're still determined to keep moving forward. You can't allow yourself to freeze like last time.

You begin to talk to Rengoku on your walk, telling him everything and anything to distract yourself. The two of you share stories from your childhood and reminisce about old times.

"My little sister was so close. I could have protected her if I was just a bit faster. And stronger. I could have saved her if I just had a chance."

"Don't talk like that, Y/N," Rengoku tells you softly. "There was nothing you could have done."

"She died right in front of me, Kyojuro. How could I have not tried?"

"Y/N," he sighs as he turns to look at you. "I know it's hard. But, you can't blame yourself for what happened. There was no way you could have stopped the demon that killed your sister. You didn't even really know what you were dealing with."

"I think my brother did," you then admit. "He was able to save me when he found us. I have to find out why."

"Well, let's make sure you live to find out," Rengoku nods his head.

You sigh and try to relax a bit, but you can't help but feel guilty. Every time you talk, Rengoku's eyes glow with compassion and he listens intently. You've never met someone who's listened so closely. It makes your heart flutter.

"You've had a tough life," he sighs. "You should be proud of yourself. You've come so-" He stops abruptly when a large cave becomes visible in front of the two of you.

"Is that the nest?" you whisper, to which he nods.

"Take a deep breath and remember the things Lord Uzui has taught you," he says quietly, grabbing his sword. "We're going in."

Your breath catches in your throat. "Wait, now? Already?"

Rengoku chuckles at your comment, but you watch him curious about his sincerity until he leans down and places a soft kiss on your cheek. "We're in this together. It'll be okay. You can do this," he then whispers before taking off, leaving you stunned.

Your hand rises to the spot on your cheek where he kissed you. The place feels like it's on fire, burning your skin. Although you and Rengoku have become close this past year, you don't really have feelings for him in that way. But, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. The two of you have been friends for awhile and he has always been there for you.

"Are you coming?" he says, turning back to face you with a big, bright smile.

"Am I what?" you gulp, only half hearing. Thankfully, he points to the cave which gives you the context you had been forgetting. "Oh, right, yeah."

Together, the two of you enter the nest which is a large stone cave in the middle of the forest. The moonlight can barely shine through the entrance and the air is chilly. But, once you enter the cave by sneaking in close by the edge, the temperature drops even more.

"You okay?" Rengoku asks quietly as the two of you continue.

"Yeah," you nod just before a loud screeching noise booms from somewhere deeper in the cave.

"We're getting close," he then tells you. But not three steps more do you take until his eyes widen and he pushes you behind him. Still, you peer out and spot a large demon with six heads stomping towards the two of you.

"Get ready, Y/N!" he calls. "This is going to be a tough fight."

"R-right," you say nervously, unsheathing your own blades. The demon's body is covered in scales and its teeth are like razor-sharp knives. Its six arms are muscular and it's easily three times the size of you. "But just so you know, pushing me behind you isn't going to help me learn anything."

"Y/N," he tries to warn you, but you simply push your way past and stand your ground. You know why Rengoku doesn't want you fighting this particular demon, but you're pretty sure there's no better start than this.

You grip your swords as the demon growls loudly at the two of you, but when its eyes meet yours, your body freezes up. You think back to the screaming sounds of your sister, how she died, how she cried out for your help. Your body begins to tremble.

"Y/N, get back!"

The demon roars and charges at the two of you. It's so huge and fast.

Not to mention the way your brother snatched you up at the absolute last second before you got eaten alive as well. You've always been weak. What has training truly accomplished? You're still the same scared-shitless person you were a year ago.

You're too terrified to move.

RENGOKU'S P.O.V.

I shove Y/N behind me as I see this new demon. This is definitely not what I was expecting to find here at all. The townsfolk complained about low-level demons invading their town for food, but this thing is on a whole other level than anything they described to me.

"Get ready, Y/N!" I call out to Y/N, "This is going to be a tough fight." I just hope her whole 'frozen in fear' thing was a one-time incident.

"R-right," she replies nervously, and I can already begin to see how this is going to play out. "But just so you know, pushing me behind you isn't going to help me learn anything."

I glance at her as she pushes her way past me. I can't help but feel sorry for her in that instant. Everything she's gone through with her family and with Lord Tengen has made her so confused with who she is and how she feels she needs to act in the face of something of this magnitude. If only she had run into me that fateful night instead of Suma.

As the demon charges the two of us, I call out to Y/N. But before she can even move, I rush the demon and use my flame breathing to create a large wall of fire, burning the demon in the process.

"I'll hold it back!" I say as the demon's skin sizzles in the background. "You-" I begin as I turn around to see her. She's completely frozen in place. "Shit."

As I rush to Y/N's side, tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "Come on, snap out of it," I nearly shout as I reach my hands to her cheeks and pull her face closer to mine. Her eyes are glossed over and her face is pale.

"Y/N," I nearly cried myself. I hate to see her like this, especially after how much she's grown. There's no time for this, the wall is beginning to die down.

The Emptiness You Left

[aredhel-erinti]

Love and Redemption Rewatch: ep. 2

This rewatch could take a little longer than I expected with how time consuming it is, but here we go...

And so we get our first shred of the Mirror... which really should have been better hidden, if they ever hoped thing such as this not to happen.... The Secret Ground isn't all that secure.

From the start, Bai Lin is extremely determined that some things just Must Not Happen!

This whole "we are deciding Xuan Ji's punishment" situation shows very nicely the priorities and motivations of several characters. Ling Long shows up as soon as the whole berating starts, ready to intervene but biding her time. When the punishment is announced, Min Yan reacts immediately and pleads for leniency (on his knees and all). He doesn't think about it at all. I believe his main motivation is (as always) Ling Long, who, he knows, is extremely unhappy by this development and wants to protect her sister. Additionally, Xuan Ji is his friend and he wants to help her, but his main objective is to make Ling Long happy. Ling Long tries her classic crying act but is immediately silenced and quickly realizes that the situation is too dire to save her sister like this (still she tries one more trick - to appeal to aunt Hong - but this also fails). Xuan Ji doesn't fear the cave because she has no point of reference for pain or discomfort (beeing pampered her whole life) and is by far the most chill with the situation. But she also doesn't have any real regard for the rules of her sect and doesn't get the severity of her transgression. And that isn't because of her non-existent emotions, that is herself. She isn't concerned with rules or great ideals, she lives in the moment. Her biggest concern at the moment is Si Feng's wellbeing as she feels a connection with him. (Lets face it - Si Feng is guilty for trespassing in another sect's Secret Ground just because he needed to find his spiritual beast - Xuan Ji isn't protecting an innocent, she protects the boy she had connected with).

Chu Lei's speech to Yuan Lang has strong "who allowed you to go into my bedroom, the door were closed, bitch!" vibe.

So, this happened 16 years ago, approximately when Xuan Ji was born... but what about in her previous lifes, was the Jade Cup always sealed somewhere nearby? Did I just forget this detail?

Such a clever little misdirection and at the same time a hint...

And another clever misdirection: the show keeps showing us Yuan Lang during Xuan Ji's visions (and sometimes even Wu Zhi Qi) giving audience the impression that THIS is Star of Mosha thatwe are battling. My friend was even confused that there seemed to be more of them as the face and the mask keeps changing! Good job confusing the audience! :)

The "Ling Long tries to teach her sister how to cry" scene is very funny... and adorable... I love Ling Long.

The chilli powder plan is genius... :D In my country we use onion - works every time!

Si Feng is getting flogged as a punishment and the justification is that losing the mask puts everyone from Lize palace in danger... and this is probably not untrue...

Also, Si Feng stammers only in the presence of Xuan Ji.

Bai Lin is here for ten (largely uneventful) years already... he must miss his bed...

It's very sweet how sincerely Min Yan cares about Xuan Ji (even if it is a fertile ground for future misconceptions). Actually Xuan Ji is very loved by her sect brothers and sisters...

Is there some hidden meaning to the fact that taste has been the first sense to be recovered?

As expected, Ling Long's cooking is terrible. And as expected, Min Yan eats it all anyway, because she doesn't want her to be sad. I love these two, but Min Yan is the one who truly treasures his beloved person.

Min Yan's reaction to Ling Long's bitching is priceless...

... OR they want to save their own mask (and skin). One of those options. (Just saying. Si Feng isn't motivated by personal feelings just yet.)

Min Yan can be quite sneaky... and his plan actually worked! Good job, even worth Ling Long's slight disappointment.

And... he isn't stammering anymore, yep... That was quick - must have been the shock in the first place.

When you have the luxury of knowing, this is truly heartbreaking... I must look out for the first tears.

The beginning of a beautiful friendship!

[antvnger]

I'm sad we had an anthill in our garden. I loved watching them going around their day. My brother and I even put food around the garden for them to find it. I figured this would be better because they still had to look for it for themslef but they would defintely find something. So they always had something to eat but wouldn't get used to being fed by someone else.

Today I my brothers stupid "friends" destroed it with some sticks and throwing stones at it :(

I screamed so loud at them and was so furious. My brother tried to stop them but they would just push him away and call him names. That's when he came to me and called me for help. I'm not mad at him he tried his best. His friends are all way bigger than him and they were also more than him. It was three big boys agains one smaller one. He even got an black eye because of them.

And now I feel so sad for the poor ants and my brother. He feels so guilty because he couldn't do more to help. My brother just turned three a few days ago and has such a big heart. Because of him we made our garden animal friendly we have a lot of stuff for all kinds of animals to hide and find food and no matter what comes to our garden is allowed to stay. No matter if it's spiders, ants, bees, birds or other animals.

I tried to talk to him and explain that it wasn't his fault but it didn't really help. Do you have any ideas what I could do to make him feel better maybe an idea how the both of us could help the ants? And maybe you could send him some love? He is a really big Ant-Man and the Wasp fan. They're his favorite superheros and it broke my heart when he said under tears Scott, Hope, Hank and Janet would all be disapointed and mad at him for not helping the ants :(

-Ant-Friend

Ohhhhh Anon! You’re breaking my heart! Your poor brother. He got a black eye and everything? That poor kid.

Okay so to help the ants, make sure there’s good soil or sand nearby. That’s what they build their homes with. Some little sticks and pine needles would be great too. Those help strengthen their walls. Keep leaving food like you have been. I know they really appreciate that. And finally, let the ants do their thing. They are really resourceful and they can handle cave-ins like this. I really believe they’re gonna be okay.

The good news is that their tunnels extend many feet below ground and extend out anywhere from feet to miles, depending on the species. So with that being said, this cave in won’t hurt the colony as much as it seems and they more than likely have more than one entrance. And they should have plenty of food down there too.

As for your brother, keep telling him how good a job he did and that he did nothing wrong. And do me a favor and show him this video for me, will you?

Transcript 👇🏻

Hi buddy! Ant-Man here, I heard about those big bullies who hurt you and hurt the ants. I’m so sorry all of that happened, buddy. That’s not fair that all of that happened to you guys. And I heard that you thought that I or the Wasp or Hank and Janet would be mad at you or disappointed in you. Let me tell you something okay? I want you to know I’m so proud of you! You acted like a hero for the ants. You stood up to those big bullies and tried to help save the ants. You’re such a brave brave boy, and the Wasp and I are super proud of you. I know it didn’t work out like you wanted it to, but it’s gonna be okay, buddy. Things will get better. The ants will be okay. You’re gonna be okay too. You’re one awesome person, buddy, and I think the ants are pretty lucky to have you as a friend. I think I’d be pretty lucky to have you as a friend too. You take care of that eye, buddy, okay? You have your big sibling keep me posted on how you’re doing. Get better soon! See ya!

[old-men-yaoi-lover]

I had a friend with whom I had like the craziest 3 am convos, now we're drifting apart so I'm gonna like document some of that weirdness, some jokes

1. Universe was created last Thursday

2. Peppa pig is 2m tall

3. I classify my memories by places, not time. Time isn't linear it's geographical

4. Ego finished before it could fester, the universe doesn't allow me

5. From the depths of Mushroom kingdom, emerges a man with a moustache so long

He's got a plan, he's got a scheme

Warrior, wario the money making Machine!

6. Will he cry, a broken man for all he has lost? Will they live or will they roam about with their hearts dead and brains shrieking?

7. Never be vanilla. Always be so extra and dramatic that you put Ursula to shame

8. We could just be immortal sentient jellybishes, floating in the ocean all day, but nooo

9. Rodrick from the live action movie is way too fine

10. A: I don't have friends

B: wait what about m- (starts fading away)

11. Confused OONGA BOONGA intensifies

12. I want to pour mouthwash on my eyes

13. A: Haha you're so old.

B: old, ancient, a dinosaur, even.

14. I pity myself, an eternal doormat who keeps trying to help people despite being ignored by them.

I'm a beta male, sonic

15. A: hey come onliiine

B:Who dares summon me, The Great Naga, king of the serpentssssssss

16. I broke into a children's park to play on the swings, I'm a criminal

17. Without even a semblance of awareness of any conciousness

18. Never feel guilty for eating chocolate

Feel guilty for being alive instead!

19. Thanks bro, you keep me undergrounded

20. After everything that has happened, if I don't get in my favourite college, I'm gonna be so pissed off that even the Gods will worry. The simulated Matrix should be sweating rn. They better not distract me.

21. I forget I'm alive sometimes

22. How can I sleep when the world is briefly magical for a moment which seperates the days? ✨

23. Haha suffer peasant

24. A: i grow, not grow up

Cosine so fine Constantine

Always alone, post Malone, Sylvester Stallone

All these rich people always act they busy

All I ever want in my life is pu-

I'm sorry, I got carried away, i don't where that came from

But like there's so much symbolism in this ryt, socioeconomic disparity, immaturity and-

B: Yea the pussy is a metaphor for how you were in a dark cave in your life

25. Mongolian throat singing ensues

26. Let's lie back and stare at the stars as last of the lights are put out

27. Mike wazhousekey

28. Ye have been blessed, kill some people in your dreams

29. I wanna die while somersaulting into the mouths of sharks in a lava pit volcano

30. A: my neck hurts so bad

B: want me to break it

31. Why am I like this?

When did I become like this?

32. You can feel the 12 year old girl energy from the screen

All my friends have personality of a toddler

33. Being buff and anxious is wayy better than being anxious

34. You're one sarcastic and a pleasant funny chap good sir

A hoit a toit

35. The theological conclusion to an eternal saga

36. And her skin the colour of coffee but only with milk because she was white (talking about how there were little coloured people in standards of beauty thing)

37. Atleast you try, my beloved

38. A: do my laundry

B: here have monekys

A: ...

B: special helicopter swings for shirts too

39. That attention seeking, two timing bubonic barnacle rat

40. There is no gender

There is only cockroach and those too filled with fear to face it

Anyways they have their own whole life and they seem happier without me so Saying goodbye i suppose haha sed lyf

[notthestarwar]

From a reply to a comment I got on a fic

For me, canon Obi Wan is someone that's liable to ignore the truth of a situation for his own comfort. He's a Jedi master, he knows the importance of not letting your emotions lead you and yet, he ignores that when it comes to Anakin. He doesn't let himself see how lost he's getting until its too late and then when it is too late, he then can't accept the part Anakin plays in his own fall.

In rots Obi Wan has all these conflicting emotions, he's devastated, he's guilty, but also he's angry with Anakin 'killing him would be merciful, Obi Wan isn't feeling merciful'. His reluctance to process those emotions, even though he so obviously knows how to, and the importance of such a thing, leads to old Ben. Old ben still hasnt processed the reality of things. Is it the trauma of what happened to the Jedi? If it were someone else i think maybe, but for Obi Wan, i do think that he had the potential to live a different life than the one he did on tattoine, i think that would have been better for him and for everyone.

But i think he always would have done things as he did, as that's just who he is, who he's always been.The contradiction of him being a master teacher in 'dealing with emotions healthily' of him understanding that so fully that he's got everyone thinking he's a master of his own emotions, he is a really good Jedi but I don't think he applies any of what he knows to himself, he just pretends, but deep down he isn't doing it. Deep down he's always been the person that would turn a blind eye to his brother falling, that would be unable to kill him even tho he knows that would be the 'Jedi' thing to do.

I think Obi Wan had the potential to do better by Luke, he could have done better by the galaxy by joining the rebellion, he could have done better by anakin by being harsher from the start, by not letting his love blind him, he could have given him a kinder death than leaving him to burn. But instead, he does barely anything, he chooses sticking his head in the sand every time even tho as a master Jedi, he'd be the first one to guide anyone else away from that.He lives a miserable life on tattoine for 20 years cause he thinks he deserves it, its a kind of self punishment, and it's completely unnecessary.

He could have taken luke anywhere else. He could have found funds to give himself, hell even Owen and beru a better life (like bail wouldn't have given him money, like he couldn't make his own in a job that took advantage of his skills. He easily could have stolen money, which we know he wasn't averse to prior to the Jedi's fall). But he doesn't want to accept the reality of things and so refuses to live. Even before he knows vaders identity, he's given over his life to right anakins wrongs and he won't allow himself to be comfortable for a minute of it. He goes to live on Anakin's planet, living as a pauper in a cave. Its all about anakin and the guilt he feels. He won't confront the empire himself, he's convinced himself the only way is playing this passive part in a plan, that I don't think he really believes in. Luke defeating the empire is yoda's plan. For Obi Wan it's a convenient excuse to avoid looking for an alternative. It's pure luck that luke and Leia do bring down the empire! Obi Wan played barely any part in that. He chose to give luke to Owen, yeah Owen didn't trust him but Obi Wan is the Negotiator, he could have fought for luke to be trained, he should have, for lukes own safety. He leaves leia to it, only just stepping in at the last possible moment when she's kidnapped. He also leaves her untrained. We know that untrained force sensitives are dangerous and difficult to raise, that's how the order gets every one of their members, because non force sensitives struggle with force sensitive children and so they give them to the Order. So he leaves both of these powerful children with non force sensitives and gives them no input? It's illogical. It's asking for the empire to find them. As is using his own name. Going to tattooine of all places. Letting luke use Skywalker? No matter how common the names it doesn't make sense. And we know Obi Wan isn't stupid so the only conclusion I can come to is that he's caught so deep in denial he's doing stupid things without acknowledgement.

How might Obi Wan have developed the conflict that allows him to be like this? I think certain extended universe materials indicate that he had a pretty messed up early apprenticeship, which I think could easily lead to problems with self worth and a desire to hide that. Looking at the prequels, he wasn't ready to take on anakin. Taking on a parenting type role when you aren't ready leads to blurred boundaries. He was not his parent, but I think he acted like one. His love for anakin tipped in to attatchment. He couldn't do what was right in general or what was right for anakin, because he was influenced by that love.

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

11.10.23 Friday

3:34 am

I feel bitter...I still have windblow... 16 years passed me by, I've learned and grow but not totally coz a negative force unfairly trapped me this way... I wasn't able to grow and they cut my legs and thank God in a way if I still have God, I'm able to see but someone just put a blindfold on me.

16 years ago, I saw this man on the magazine... Different pictures, so many high-flown pictures but this one is my favorite...

This man gained fame and success but this one is the one I want... 16 years ago, I was old and was supposed to be wiser but a force won't let me. I kept myself for a long time coz I wanted to grow and to pursue something that I know it was the best thing. But some people tried to take it away from me and they were all successful to take my dreams and all of my plans on that 16 years and until today...

I had a lot of plans from the past years some foxes knew and they stole my timeline's list and I feel bitterish...

Life is a piece of cake supposed to be but not these days it became a piece of shit!

12:01 noon

Mowningless Borgy... Kissing your lower abdomen... Simply a smack ;)

Lunchie time...

12:35 noon

My mental hunger on YOU!

12:53 noon

I have windblow... What to share today???

I feel bitterish, Borgy is in my mind. If he can read this, this is me a very,very jealous gf... I hate being smash at the back without a fight.

I always want the entire universe to know that what is mine, is mine... I always want my bf to be my personal property.

Still, the same I'm very, very, very jealous on the women here in Cavite and the movement they had have without my knowledge.

I feel bitter 16 years already, I lost almost my entire LIFE.

I can't exist, I feel so bitter... Thinking of so many things,my own money and job! I can' grow here in Cavite... I'm panicking... Shit! Whew! I missed almost my entire life.

I always make sure that I show love from the heart....There is no repeat but rendition or revival. My LOVE IS ALWAYS REAL...

I have no guilty emotion coz I know how to love and I'm so proud of myself that I know how to LOVE!

Though, I'm not sure if those past LOVE that I met from my past roads were real or not but I had have NO GUILTY EMOTION, coz once you live and find love and show love but they hurted you...Be still proud of yourself that you know how to LOVE!

Learn to LOVE and LEARNED from PAST LOVE!

Live and Learn... Love is a gamble and it will always be....

Cavite doesn't know how to LOVE! LOVE is just do it! Be real and be true... No sure thing but you still LOVE!

No intentional smashing at the back, accident happens but definitely,you will figure out and just learn how to LOVE...

2:57 pm

I still have windblow.... I feel irritated!

I'm thinking of money and job and my growth and my love life. I really wanna transfer in sand-dunes ilocos though there are some plastics rocks and pebbles.

I still feel fat,ugly and wrinkled...

Truth this afternoon:

I don't like women even man that feels that they are man but they are like those women who are just talkative and jealous of me. ( subject-verb agreement, 2nd subject will be the pattern of verb ).

Women who always care but part of bad gremlinz in the society most specially here in Cavite.

Care and Help are 2 wonderful words... It can be real or an agenda to take away something from me like Borgy this time!

Example:

A bad vagina gremlinz here or there will say we should care for Peachy let's not allow her to meet Borgy then there will be a plan of conspiracy such as inserting the rod to their cave or there are group of men who will show their gremlinz vagina to Borgy and will say Peachy is just a child.

But real love is about cuteness though I smack Borgy's penis.

** 3:14 pm

Listening as well on Eagle FM... DJ Lemonade now???

Care is sometimes fake,some people just have an agenda to steal something from me. When you care you tell me in front of my face and say it to me that you care. That's a real care.

I cared for a friend before, I was always straightforward in-front of their face. Why will you care at the side and back? Let me know that you really CARE... Don't hide if you really CARE for me....

8:01 pm

I have windblow... I feel irritated and super bitter here in Cavite....

They hurt my ego since 2007... I have windblow, I feel irritated I wanna leave this fucking hometown.

8:59 pm

I wanna dedicate this song to my fucking friends and my adoptive mother or Aunt who raised me here and her hubby and for some new good people to me.

As a mature person we should think of maturity, a good wonderful "golden aging"... High but humble coz your coconut nut is mature.

[angeldcgs]

even if she didn't have any legitimate reason to be wary of him, an inexplicable gut feeling should be more than enough. something in her body was telling her to proceed with caution, and there had to be some reason for that, but she'd spent so long being trained to doubt her instincts and question what she knew to be true, she had a hard time making decisions without being told it was the right thing to do by someone with more authority. she relied so heavily on others to tell her what to do, what to think, how to feel— clearly something in her was broken, and she was glad she at least had found a place where she could receive that guidance. "you're right," she relented, once again caving to his logic. "you've always been... very respectful." or, he tried to be, at least. nothing he did was inherently inappropriate, it was just that her particular sensitivities could be difficult to manage, and that wasn't his fault. all george wanted to do was provide her with the companionship she'd never had the joy of experiencing before, and maybe he'd stand a little too close sometimes, or overwhelm her with attention without giving her the space she needed to decompress, but he didn't mean any harm by it. he was just excited to have a friend, like she had been at the beginning. "he's told me i'm very lucky to have a friend like you... father benjamin, i mean. he said he doesn't have to worry as much, because i have someone to look after me now." overwhelming as it may be, bernadette was the sort who needed a higher level of care than other women her age. it made her feel inept— juvenile, almost— having to be reminded to eat and to look up from her book long enough to take a break and stretch her legs, needing help completing her chores or asking for accommodations. it seemed as though she wasn't able to reach a level of independence befitting of a young woman, and while father benjamin tried to offer his assistance and support in any way he could, he only had so much available time for her, and she already felt guilty enough hogging his attention as it was. george was there to fill in when father benjamin couldn't, and their friendship allowed for a bit more closeness, given their status as relative equals. she needed someone, and seeing as no one else was willing to step up, george was her only option. "if it is his will, i don't think there's anything that could break us apart." she managed a small smile, trying to convince herself of the validity of her words even as she spoke them. as badly as she wished to have a deep, intimate connection with god, at times he felt so far from her. she wanted him to speak to her, to act through her, but she constantly found herself floundering to understand what he wanted from her, and why he made things happen the way he did. that's why she valued father benjamin's guidance so strongly— he served as the middle man between her and god, able to provide her clarity when she was feeling lost, using his close connection with god to impart his wisdom upon her. without him, she might've just given up on her religious education altogether. he'd never led her astray thus far, and if he approved of george and of their friendship, she had to believe it. "okay," she felt a slight weight lifted off her shoulders as he offered to postpone the walk, giving her at least one more night to get her wits about her. "i'd like that... would you mind walking me back to my room? please?"

what she was saying made sense but george couldn't help but try and ignore it, he didn't want her to have an actual reason to try and run away from their budding friendship, especially when their priest had been so insistent on encouraging george's attempts. it wasn't fair that she tried to remove herself from his life when he'd already gotten so attached, the loss would be monumental and would ruin all the progress he'd made simply from having someone like her around. she made him want to be a better, more proactive person. "well i- i don't think we've ever acted in a way that would make anyone concerned about that." their respective genders might have placed worries about unholy actions in the minds of others either way but that was not george's concern, at least that was what father benjamin had told him. he knew what he was doing was good and holy, he was giving bernadette the gift of friendship and that should've been more important than anything. they were both well-behaved individuals, never acting out or going against what was expected of them, a little trust would go a long way. "people would've brought up their concerns by now. they would've spoken to father benajmin and he would have called us in to talk but he hasn't so..." in reality, the priest had been nothing but encouraging of their relationship. he saw it for what it truly was, something good and holy, a benefit to not only bernadette but george too. she wore her heart on her sleeve and her feelings on any given situations could be distinguished almost instantaneously, so to watch her apprehension fade brought george peace of his own, allowing him to relax under her wide-eyed, glossy gaze. he eagerly stood there and absorbed all of her praise, barely able to stop himself from beaming ear to ear as she echoed the same rhetoric that had convinced george to pursue bernadette in the first place, gifted to him through the gloriously gentle voice of their priest. once again, he didn't think before reaching out for bernie, taking her smaller hand in his and squeezing it in a manner he believed to be comforting. "i couldn't agree more. i believe that god is very happy with our friendship and i'd hate to let anyone ruin that, not only for us but for him too." god or father benjamin? the pair seemed to blur into one most of the time. with one last squeeze, george let go of her hand and finally took a step back so she was no longer crowded in by his lanky form. "we can go on that walk tomorrow. okay?" the excitement of having bernadette finally vocalise her understanding of their relationship was enough to satisfy george for the night. he'd be able to go back to his room with a smile on his face and force away the guilt that always blossomed when he'd later touch himself to the thought of her.

[highreevess]

Keeping Her: Part four

Warnings: Talk of pregnancy, talk of pregnancy symptoms.

Summary: It's been three months since Rafe flew to Connecticut to try to win the love of his life back. Every day, the reader finds the ache in her heart growing smaller and smaller. Every day, Rafe's heart pulls for her more and more. It's time to make a choice. Can she forgive him for his betrayal, or has the pain he caused her made her too afraid to allow him back into her heart?

Word count: 2,056

Part one Part two Part three

"This stuff smells awful," Rafe says as he fixes a bottle of formula.

I scoff. "Why are you making it anyway? A little early, don't ya think?" I ask as I place my hands on my almost seven-month pregnant belly.

"Because I want to see if it's edible. And by the smell, it's not," Rafe says, grimacing as he sniffs the formula in the bottle. "Looks like you'll have to go natural," he says, sending me that damn grin.

He's been trying to convince me to breastfeed once I have the baby for the past two months. And he's using every excuse he can find to bring up the topic, much to my great annoyance.

"In your dreams," I tell him, taking the baby bottle from him. I toss it into the sink for him to wash.

He does so without question.

"Do you want me to make you something to eat?" he asks, and I shake my head. "Not right now."

He nods. "Just let me know when you're hungry, and I'll make whatever you want."

I nod and avert my gaze, not wanting to say anything to him.

For the past three months, Rafe has been nothing but the biggest help. Ever since I found him in my living room fourteen weeks ago. He got an apartment in the building so he could be close to me to help but not close enough to suffocate me or make me uncomfortable. He's been taking me to my O.B appointments, helping with all of my food cravings, and has been preparing my apartment for the baby, which could come at any time. Though I'm only 27 weeks, early birth is common in Rafe's family. It happened with him, Sarah, and his little sister, Wheezie.

The baby is coming soon, and I still have no idea what I'm going to do.

I know I'm having it—obviously—but I don't know what to do about Rafe.

He has been nothing but helpful and affectionate toward me without acting like we are back together. He's made my life so much easier, and each day, he's shown me how truly remorseful he is for his actions.

But I still don't know if it's enough.

I can still feel the dull ache in my heart every time I look at Rafe, and he is the one who created it. I can't just ignore what he did because he's proved himself sorry.

I know he's sorry. I can see the guilt eating away at him every single day, so much so that I wonder how he's functioning properly. But his guilt doesn't automatically mean he won't ever hurt me again.

And the thought of him hurting me again makes my chest cave because now, I'm not the only one who will be hurt by his actions.

I have a daughter to think of.

"Y/N?" Rafe asks, breaking me out of my thoughts. I meet his gaze and swallow when I see him looking at me with those guilty eyes.

He knows I was thinking about him.

He clears his throat and clears away the emotion on his face as if to stop me from seeing his guilt, but I see it.

And it makes my heart pull.

"Maybe you should lie down," Rafe tells me, glancing at my bedroom door. "It's not good for you to be up so much."

I glance at the door before turning my head back toward Rafe. "I suppose I could rest for an hour or two."

"I'll clean up while you sleep. Go ahead," Rafe tells me, drying his hands on the dish towel next to the sink.

I nod and make my way over to my bedroom door. I open it before walking inside and closing it. Then, I head over to my bed and settle between the mattress and the freshly-washed covers.

Sleep comes almost instantly.

My eyebrows pull together as I slowly wake from my deep sleep. My eyes flutter open, and I see that it is dark outside. The moon is high in the night sky and shining through my windows, painting me in a pale glow.

I slowly sit up and look over at the clock on my nightstand. When I see that it's a little past eight, my eyes widen, and I jump out of bed.

I've been asleep for over six hours when I was only supposed to sleep for two.

I let out a huff of frustration before walking over to my bedroom door and opening it.

The smell of food fills my nose, and my eyebrows furrow.

I slowly walk into my living room and see something that makes my heart skip a beat.

Red roses cover nearly every surface of my living room and kitchen. The lights are turned off, and there are dozens upon dozens of candles lit in various places, giving the room a romantic glow. On the large coffee table in my living room are dozens of different foods. They range from seafood to pasta to sweets. Every one of my favorite foods is laid out on the table.

On two opposite sides of the table are a bunch of pillows, neatly stacked for two people to sit comfortably on the floor.

"You're up," a sudden deep voice says, startling me. My head snaps in the direction of the voice, and I see Rafe holding what looks like a metal pan of baked macaroni and cheese, hot and fresh from the oven. My favorite.

Swallowing, I nod. "Yes."

I glance at the table again before looking at Rafe. "What is this?" My words come out as a whisper, and I mentally curse myself for it.

He shrugs and walks over to the table to set down the mac-&-cheese, which looks like a pan of heaven from my view.

Once it's set safely down in the middle of the coffee table, he turns toward me and removes the oven mitts on his hands. "I wanted to cook you dinner."

"This is a feast, not dinner," I mention as I observe the various foods he has laid out. This must have taken hours to cook.

He shrugs. "Feast dinner, same thing." He has that boyish smile on his face that makes me weak in the knees as he says this, but I refuse to let myself give in.

"Rafe, why did you do this?" I ask sternly but not rudely.

He opens his mouth but closes it. He averts his gaze for a moment before straightening and looking back at me. "I thought we should talk."

"And you had to make a fifteen-course meal to do that?" I ask, the corners of my lips kicking up in the tiniest of smiles.

He shrugs, his boyish smile returning. "Figured everything is better with food. And you're eating for two, so I thought I might as well make all of your favorites."

This time, I actually let my smile show. "You didn't have to, Rafe."

"I wanted to."

I can tell he means his words, so I stop asking questions and head toward the coffee table. I sit down on one of the two stacks of pillows and smile at Rafe. "You remembered."

When I was young, I would sit at the coffee table with my mother and father and eat dinner. We would sit atop pillows on the floor. Never once did we use chairs. It wasn't a part of our culture or a tradition that started with my grandparents or anything; it was just something we did.

He smiles and takes off the apron he's wearing before sitting across from me. "I did."

I smile at him again before reaching for the crab legs Rafe boiled. I grab the snow crabs and pull some onto my plate before eagerly digging in.

"Straight for the seafood," he smiles, watching me as I dig into the food he prepared.

I grin.

A small laugh escapes his throat at my toothy grin, and he leans over the table to hand me something. When I see that it's a crab pincher, I take it gladly and use it to help crack the crab legs and get the meat out.

And when I look back up at Rafe to ask where the melted butter is, he's already holding out a cup filled with it for me.

I take it gladly and eat through the snow crabs on my plate in just a few minutes.

The delicious food almost makes me forget about the elephant in the room.

Almost.

After about fifteen minutes of eating and talking about small things, a sort of silence settles between us, and the air grows thick with tension.

I try my best to ignore the tension as I eat my body weight in delicious food, but when Rafe speaks, that becomes impossible.

"So," he speaks, breaking the silence between us.

I look up at him with crab legs in both hands, and the corners of his lips tug up when he sees it.

But he stays on task. "The baby could come any day now, and I know you might still need some time, but I'd just like to know where I stand with you and where I stand with our daughter."

A quiet breath passes my lips, and I set down the crab legs before wiping my hands on the napkin atop my lap.

"I want you in our daughter's life, I know that. I want you to be a father to her and raise her with me," I tell him, completely sure about this.

"But you're still not sure about letting me into your heart again," he concludes with slightly furrowed brows.

I avert my gaze and nod.

A quiet sigh escapes his lips, but he quickly covers it, no doubt to stop me from hearing it so I don't feel guilty about my admission. "Do you think you'll ever be able to trust me again?" When he asks me this, he meets my gaze, and I see that his eyes are glossy with unshed tears.

My own eyes gloss at the sight of his face, so I quickly blink and avert my gaze. "I don't know," I tell him truthfully.

"Do you want to?" he asks.

"Of course," I answer, and I mean it. I want nothing more than to be able to trust him with everything I have, even more so now that we have a child on the way, but I'm so scared to do it. I'm so scared of him hurting me again to the point that just thinking about it makes my chest cave.

"But you're afraid," he concludes again, and I nod. "I don't want to be," I tell him. "I want more than anything to be able to trust you again, to be in your arms late at night while you whisper about how much you love me, but I'm terrified of you hurting me again. You can't possibly imagine how scared I am, Rafe."

"I know," he whispers, his words thick with guilt. "And you will never know how sorry I am for what I did, for what I made you feel. You'll never know how grateful I am that you're allowing me to help raise our daughter, even if you still can't let me into your heart."

He reaches over the coffee table and gently grabs my right hand in his. "I don't care if I have to spend the next twenty years proving myself to you. I will do whatever it takes to win you back, and when I do, I will treat you like a fucking queen. I will never hurt you again. I will be a good father to our daughter, and I will be a good husband to you."

My heart skips a beat at him implying he wants to get married someday, and tears pool in my eyes.

I quickly blink them away before they fall, but I don't look away from Rafe. "I love you. That hasn't changed. And I'm scared, but I will try to let you in. I'll try to trust you again, Rafe, because I do want a future with you. I always have."

I see the corners of his lips kick up in a bittersweet smile. "That's all I can ask for."

A/N: There will be one more part after this. It should be posted by the end of next week.

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